Web Matrix Developer's Guide

Rating:
Summary: Free is the Word!
Review: All of the tools in this book are indeed downloadable for free (you should register the shareware). If you're like me and find the high price of Microsoft products a little difficult to swollow, then this book is very much worth looking at. The author has gone to great lengths to show you how to build a complete development system for free.

I found the author's writing very clear and understandable. He covers everything from simple Web pages to Web services. This book is a wealth of information about new and existing technologies including both XML and SOAP. The author also includes tips on how to modify the IDE for your specific needs, such as adding new controls to the Toolbox.

The inclusion of MSDE Query was a big perk because MSDE doesn't include any user interface. Using MSDE Query has saved me considerable time and expense.

The only thing that I don't understand is why you have to download Appendix B from the Apress Web site. This is actually one of the best additions to the book because the author shows how to extend Web Matrix to perform other tasks. The author told me about the appendix when I contacted him for additional information. The bottom line is that this book can save you both time and money.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Web Matrix Guide
Review: The author obviously saw beyond Microsoft's hype for this product and demonstrated the true range of the Web Matrix features in his book. The fancy pictures on the Web Matrix web site would have you believe that this is a training aid for ASP.NET. In reality, this is a cool tool that you can use for a variety of tasks.

I like the fact that every chapter has something interesting to do. Instead of saying that you can do data reporting, the author shows how to perform this task. Another chapter shows how to create your own controls and components, and then add them to the Web Matrix toolbox. The Web services information was interesting, but it's not something I'm using today. Even so, it was nice to know that it's there.

My favorite chapter has been mobile application development. It's something I hadn't thought you could do with Web Matrix until this book showed me.

The bottom line is that the author chose not to follow Microsoft's lead. This book tells you what you can really do with Web Matrix, which is actually a lot. The author also doesn't pull any punches. If something is broken or doesn't work quite right, he tells you about it and often provides a fix to boot.

Rating:
Summary: More Depth Than It's Competition!
Review: The first rule of thumb when writing a book is to target your audience. I'm not sure what audience, Mr. Mueller is trying to reach. After targeting your audience, give them the book and see how far they get. Really, I don't think many would get too far with this book. The examples are not complete. In one section, the book covers building queries using MSDE and then jumps to building queries with Web Matix and then we just see code. Really, I have been writing ASP code for years and I am looking for a product that will automate this process. I think that Web Matrix may help with this, but Mr. Muller's book didn't show that. There are many web controls in Web Matrix that should help with accessing data. Mr. Muller's didn't explain any of these controls: how, when, where and why. Really, If I want to just write code, I buy a good ASP.NET book.

Rating:
Summary: Not Recommended
Review: The first rule of thumb when writing a book is to target your audience. I'm not sure what audience, Mr. Mueller is trying to reach. After targeting your audience, give them the book and see how far they get. Really, I don't think many would get too far with this book. The examples are not complete. In one section, the book covers building queries using MSDE and then jumps to building queries with Web Matix and then we just see code. Really, I have been writing ASP code for years and I am looking for a product that will automate this process. I think that Web Matrix may help with this, but Mr. Muller's book didn't show that. There are many web controls in Web Matrix that should help with accessing data. Mr. Muller's didn't explain any of these controls: how, when, where and why. Really, If I want to just write code, I buy a good ASP.NET book.

Rating:
Summary: More Depth Than It's Competition!
Review: The other Web Matrix titles target rank beginners - including the MS Press web matrix book. WHERE THIS BOOK EXCELS: it quite simply provides more details, and depth, that the other web matrix titles. THe Web Matrix Developer's Guide is appropriate for folks who are beyond the "ASP 101" stage and want to learn more about Web Matrix as a tool (including mobile web development.) This is a book for ideas and insights!