Rating: 
Summary: A solid, quick tutorial on how the basics are done in C#
Review: A long-term corporate client recently requested a class in C#, as they have an interest in learning about the language but are not yet ready to adopt it for development. To prepare for the class, my first action was to read this book. As I worked through some of the more interesting exercises, I was struck with how easy they were. Very few are more than two pages and all were easy to understand. As I closed the book, I was pleased with my knowledge of the language.
As I went on to write the material for the class and began creating the exercises that I would use in the training, there was no difficulty as I was well-versed in most of the syntactic differences that C# has with C++ and Java. Since I have a set of standard exercises that I use in my other programming courses, this made it very easy for me to build the lessons.
The exercises are also well-suited for anyone with a minimal programming background. Even someone with little experience can work through them if they possess the determination to do so. I recommended it to my students as a book that they could use to fill in the details that it was necessary for me to leave out.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Introduction To C#!
Review: Focus of this book is on the language itself - It doesn't get side-tracked talking about Visual Studio and .NET in general, like many C# books. It is written in a clear, friendly tone and the concepts and definitions are easy to understand. The organization is also well thought-out. Like all 21 Days books, it is divided into 3 weeks of 7 days (chapters) each. In this book, Week 1 covers language basics, like using the compiler, variables, operators, control statements and an introduction to classes and methods. Week 2 goes into more intermediate language topics like enumerators, arrays, exception handling, inheritance, interfaces and delegates. Finally, Week 3 introduces a some advanced C# topics like operator overloading and reflection as well as demonstrating how C# fits with the rest of the .NET world, specifically, the .NET Framework, Windows Forms, Web Services and Web Forms.One caveat: If you don't have a lot of programming experience, the first couple of days cover conceptual topics that may be a little confusing. Don't let that trip you up. Just skim over them ignoring anything you don't understand and head to Day 3. That where the real meat of the programming topics begin and from there it starts at the beginning and builds on itself, as you'd expect. I particularly liked the Week In Review sections that provided extended examples (often several hundred lines of code) that demonstrate the concepts covered in the previous week. Cross-references make it easy to look up anything that is unfamiliar. This really helps pull together the concepts and helps you understand how to apply them to real-world code. Overall a great tutorial that doesn't skip around or backtrack like so many computer books do. The organization also makes it a good reference for looking things up after you learn C#.
Rating: 
Summary: Its only So So
Review: I am a start out Programmer but I figured it would be a good book to start from. I did it for a while and I got really bored the leasons took forever. Then I tried a C++ book called WeekEnd Crash course and it was great and kept me interested if you want to do C++ instead of C# try that book
Rating:
Summary: Not a good choice for the beginner or returning programmer.
Review: I decide to return to programming after a long absence. I think I made a really poor choice in this book. For me, it just didn't do the job. I had to get another book on C# to fully understand what was being said in this book. I really wish I would have just bought the other one in the first place. Some of the exercises ask you to do things that are never fully explained in the book. In addition, it only gives a brief explanation of classes, and that is the one thing I needed the most information on. All in all, not a great book for someone who has never programmed in an object oriented language. I guess if you have intermediate programming skills, you may be able to finish this book in 21 days, but it's simply not a good choice for those who are returning to programming after a long absence or for those who are a beginner.
Rating:
Summary: All the C# that you need to get started
Review: I have heard much about C# (pronounced C-sharp) over the last year, ranging from the bitter to the laudatory. In reading other books about the language, I was unable to formulate an opinion regarding the impact it will have. Well, after reading this book, it is clear that C# will have a major impact, and in this restricted job market, it is an excellent career move to learn how to use it. For years, I have heard C++ referred to as a "safer C", which is of course nonsense. In my experience, the sheer size of C++ makes it more, not less dangerous than C. However, in my opinion, there is no question that C# is a safer C. It retains some of the more attractive features of C++, such as operator overloading, yet the more dangerous concepts such as memory management and multiple inheritance are eliminated.
Before reading this book, I had some experience with C# and was looking for a text to use in the corporate training classes that I am creating. My search has ended. The lessons follow the traditional sequence of background, variables, operators, control structures and classes before moving on to the advanced topics. This is the best way to learn a new language, as nothing complicates education more than being exposed to topics without suitable background information.
The lessons are clear, concise and illustrate no more than the points to be made. Some argue that large projects built one segment at a time are the way to learn a language. I could not disagree more. Beginners need short, specific lessons that illustrate only a few topics. Large projects tend to overwhelm them to the point that the frustration level increases, which has a negative, cascading effect on their understanding.
This is a book for beginners, easily handled by anyone with some knowledge of C++ or Java. Those with no other programming experience can still understand it, but must be patient and work through all of the examples.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor book for current programmers looking to move to C#
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and its ability to bring one up to speed with C#. He covers some very basic concepts such as structures, classes, indexers, and advanced topics such as delegates. All the constructs that one needs in order to put the language to work are detailed. If you are looking for a quick, down and dirty book to jump start your knowledge of the language I would rate the book 5 stars. One of the biggest challenges with OO languages is not using a procedural style when writing code. The author no doubt has a handle on the C# language. But I don't think he has a handle on OO. As the author mentions, everything in C# is class. With this in mind, I would expect to see good class design throughout the book. My criticism, which I hope is taken with a grain of salt, is that the examples which wrap up a week's lesson are too procedural. They are spaghetti code that I personally would re-factor before publishing. There is a Main method that is hundreds of lines long with nested do's nested in if's nested in do's that are nested in if's... get the picture? If this seems like harsh criticism, I apologize. I thought twice about writing this review until I hit is Black Jack program on about page 400. Respectfully,
A fellow techie
Rating:
Summary: Hits The Major Topics
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and its ability to bring one up to speed with C#. He covers some very basic concepts such as structures, classes, indexers, and advanced topics such as delegates. All the constructs that one needs in order to put the language to work are detailed. If you are looking for a quick, down and dirty book to jump start your knowledge of the language I would rate the book 5 stars. One of the biggest challenges with OO languages is not using a procedural style when writing code. The author no doubt has a handle on the C# language. But I don't think he has a handle on OO. As the author mentions, everything in C# is class. With this in mind, I would expect to see good class design throughout the book. My criticism, which I hope is taken with a grain of salt, is that the examples which wrap up a week's lesson are too procedural. They are spaghetti code that I personally would re-factor before publishing. There is a Main method that is hundreds of lines long with nested do's nested in if's nested in do's that are nested in if's... get the picture? If this seems like harsh criticism, I apologize. I thought twice about writing this review until I hit is Black Jack program on about page 400. Respectfully,
A fellow techie
Rating:
Summary: PLEASE READ!!! :)
Review: I must say this is BY FAR the best C# book for Beginners:
Here is my case:
-Played before with languages like AC, ASP, VB
-Want to start on .net but not waste time on vb.net (not as powerfull as C#)
-COMPLETLY FRUSTRATED WITH AUTHORS THAT THINK YOU ARE A NASA ENGINEER AND SHOULD UNDERSTAND THEIR HIGHLY ADVANCED TEACHING METHODS... if you fall in this my category then this book is a MUST!!!
First the author assumes that you have NONE or LEAST-Posible experience programming...so he teaches the right way...then the final reviews and tests on each chapters helps a lot...considered that im just on the 4th chapter and already programming C# stuff...and can't wait for the rest of the book... i tried before with C# Programming from Oreilly(...)!! maybe when i finish this book ill be ready for the big leagues...for now i trully recommend this book for any NEW C# programmer...
hope it works for you too.:)
Rating:
Summary: WOW! What great help.
Review: I was amazed at how easy this book was to follow. I was worried when I was told I would need to learn C# but was very comforted when I got a hold of this book. The format was easy to follow and the information never bored me or got bogged down. I would recommend this book to anyone with any knowledge of programming. It will open a whole new world. The points were pertinent and I find myself always going back to this book as a reference.
Rating:
Summary: best programming/language intro!!
Review: I'm new to programming and decided to start with C#, this book has made made the process incredibly easy. Everything is reinforced, the author is concise and the book is well organized. The author always seems to anticipate my questions and answer them before I have a chance to ask, great!! I've seen some comments on the lack of Visual Studio coverage, to me that would have been distracting since I'm trying to learn to program, not use a tool. Thank you Sams!
| 
