Rating: 
Summary: Great for experienced Java developers
Review: This book is perfect for experienced Java developers who need to get up to speed quickly on C# and .NET. Since the syntax is SOOOOO similar, this book's quick summary of the syntax is perfectly sufficient for our demographic. Then it gets into the meat that is what we need to focus on (signing/packaging, ADO.NET, XML/Web Services etc.), covering each of these in a good introductory level. Folks might also then want to get a detailed book on particular topics of interest. The book style is quite easy to read (not stereo instructions) except maybe for the chapter on signing assemblies (but that is a pretty dry topic anyway). I don't recommend it for people who don't either already know the C# or Java language; if you are in this category get an intro C# language book first and then pick this one up.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid expansion of the Introduction book
Review: This book picks up and overlaps a little with Robert Oberg's "Introduction to C# using .NET" which I believe is mandatory reading for C# programmers. There is more detail and lots more information on the .NET framework itself. It's a thorough grounding in the general framework stuff. It is not, however, an exhaustive look at everything that you can do with .NET. A lot of subjects are given very cursory looks and you will need to add extra books to your collection for in-depth coverage of more of the details. Reading this book and its predecessor will definitely get you a solid grounding with .NET, but you must do it with a computer in front of you working through the examples and case studies.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent C# book
Review: Unlike some technical texts, this C# book by Robert Oberg is actually pleasant and straightforward to read. There is a good balance of narrative and examples, new features being introduced, explained and demonstrated. There are helpful hints along the way for experienced Java and C++ programmers. The book focuses on the C# language but the coverage of ASP.NET, ADO.NET, Visual Studio.NET, web forms and web services is all there. OO is covered nicely but this is by no means a book on OO programming. I'm sure that there is a need for a .NET book on OO given that many adopters will have no background in this -- something similar to the Java Objects wrox book perhaps.
Rating:
Summary: Concise and Complete. A practical guide at many levels
Review: While most books on this subject tend to jump around and offer a lot of code snippets that may or may not apply to your application this book uses a sample application "Hotel Reservations" throughout that illustrates nearly all of the language fundementals while emphasizing the .NET framework. The application is developed in a way that does not necessarily tie you to the Visual Studio.NET development environment but still illustrates many of its features. It provides a very good overview of the .NET framework and covers all aspects of the development interfaces from User Controls to Web Forms Page Life Cycle. This book was used as a text in a class of 9 and all reported that they found that it would help them do their job better. I use this book frequently when looking for examples of how to employ a particular C# feature such as Asynchronous Callback or Disconnected DataSets. Thanks to the Authors for a job well done!
Rating:
Summary: Concise and Complete. A practical guide at many levels
Review: While most books on this subject tend to jump around and offer a lot of code snippets that may or may not apply to your application this book uses a sample application "Hotel Reservations" throughout that illustrates nearly all of the language fundementals while emphasizing the .NET framework. The application is developed in a way that does not necessarily tie you to the Visual Studio.NET development environment but still illustrates many of its features. It provides a very good overview of the .NET framework and covers all aspects of the development interfaces from User Controls to Web Forms Page Life Cycle. This book was used as a text in a class of 9 and all reported that they found that it would help them do their job better. I use this book frequently when looking for examples of how to employ a particular C# feature such as Asynchronous Callback or Disconnected DataSets. Thanks to the Authors for a job well done!
Rating: 
Summary: Good in some areas- Not so good in others
Review: You can't expect a book on such a broad topic as this to be completely successful. This book is an excellent resource for explaining the new C# language. However, when it delves into the meat of the .NET software it lacks in some areas. I found myself laboring to find out things that I feel the book should have explained. Other books explained those concepts very well. The sample code was very well done although frustrating to implement because of the placement of the documentation in the book. The Web Services portion of the book is probably the poorest. I found Web Services easily explained in other books. I am new to .NET but I've read 4 other books including one that tries to cover all aspects. In some ways I believe the authors tried to cram too much into one book and parts didn't work out so well.
Rating:
Summary: Good in some areas- Not so good in others
Review: You can't expect a book on such a broad topic as this to be completely successful. This book is an excellent resource for explaining the new C# language. However, when it delves into the meat of the .NET software it lacks in some areas. I found myself laboring to find out things that I feel the book should have explained. Other books explained those concepts very well. The sample code was very well done although frustrating to implement because of the placement of the documentation in the book. The Web Services portion of the book is probably the poorest. I found Web Services easily explained in other books. I am new to .NET but I've read 4 other books including one that tries to cover all aspects. In some ways I believe the authors tried to cram too much into one book and parts didn't work out so well.
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