Rating: 
Summary: A MUST for your collection
Review: If you are the least bit interested in writing GREAT VB code then YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. I have read it twice without putting it down and plan to read it again soon. I have over 100 technical manuals in my library and this is the first that I have read cover to cover twice. I have also gone on a rampage at work to make it mandatory reading for our staff. Since 1,000 words is not nearly enough space to cover all of the benefits that I have gotten out of this book, you should really get it for yourself and find out what a great programmer you can be. WARNING: It will make you re-think how you program. and you will want to re-write everything you have ever written using Mr. Gill's simple strategies.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST for your collection
Review: If you are the least bit interested in writing GREAT VB code then YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. I have read it twice without putting it down and plan to read it again soon. I have over 100 technical manuals in my library and this is the first that I have read cover to cover twice. I have also gone on a rampage at work to make it mandatory reading for our staff. Since 1,000 words is not nearly enough space to cover all of the benefits that I have gotten out of this book, you should really get it for yourself and find out what a great programmer you can be. WARNING: It will make you re-think how you program. and you will want to re-write everything you have ever written using Mr. Gill's simple strategies.
Rating:
Summary: A way to think about errors
Review: Most books ignore the error handling. The information in this book should take you beyond the rudimentary error handling. The author always has the user in mind and gives insights into why he codes this way, not just the how. I highly recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging presentation of valuable techniques
Review: One of the best programming books I have read - short, pithy and useful. The error coding technique proposed is clearly explained, and is proving practical and robust. Far from being cumbersome, as some reviewers suggest, it is easy to implement and helps avoid code bloat. There is a clearly specified framework for the technique, and useful guidelines about how the standards can be introduced, certified and sustained in a development team. As a bonus, there is a short but meaty section on an architectural approach which seems to offer a number of advantages over conventional tiered approaches. The text claims the approach has been used with success in several large commercial projects and this rings true - there is a strong sense that these are practical lessons learned at the coal-face and not in the ivory tower. Please don't be put off this book by the negative reviews below - they are somewhat baffling as most of the criticisms are factually incorrect. For example, the author does not ignore the importance of dlls in code reuse, does not ignore error logging, does not lock users into a text field using SETFOCUS, does not recommend always using named parameters etc etc. For whatever reason, these reviewers haven't given the book a fair reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A solid plan for beating the software failure statistics!
Review: The statistics tell us that a shockingly large percentage of software development projects fail to meet their goals. I believe the numbers, because in my 20 years of software development work, I have seen many failing projects. I have come to understand the common underlying causes of project failure, and have learned best techniques to avoid them. I wrote "Visual Basic 6: Error Coding and Layering" to share that experience with you. This is the rare kind of technical book that you can enjoy reading from cover to cover. It methodically presents a specific, comprehensive plan for improving the quality and productivity of your software development effort. It analyzes the typical causes of development failure, and shows how you can succeed through standardization, reuse, error coding, and architectural layering. No matter what your experience level, you will benefit equally from this book. Since it covers the spectrum of development issues from nitty-gritty programming to high-level project management, you will find it valuable no matter what role you have in your project. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that it will help you to beat the statistics!
Rating:
Summary: Offers a real-world approach that is hard to argue with
Review: Visual Basic is not my first choice of programming languages, precisely because it encourages very sloppy behavior and gives amateurs with only a little knowledge a dangerous sense of accomplishment :-). If you must use VB (and you must, for its exceedingly high productivity in writing Windows apps), this book offers a well-thought-out strategy for structuring your code. Primarily focused on error handling and prevention (because these are vital topics to VB programmers and VB offers little in the way of advice), the book also pounds the pulpit to "think long term" and write lasting, reusable code. (The choir heard the preacher the first time.) Among an absurdly large crowd of dreadful books on VB 6, I found "Error Coding and Layering" singularly useful and applicable to anyone writing Windows apps in VB.
Rating:
Summary: Layering - very interesting architectural approach
Review: Weird. I cannot find in the book most of what Ben Jury says. Moreoever, I cannot agree with him saying "[c]ode reuse should be 'black box', ie ActiveX dlls or controls". Doesn't he know the success of Linux? By replacing the first 30pages with eXtreme Programming, rather than just VB error handling, you will enjoy better programming.
Rating: 
Summary: eXtreme Programming
Review: Weird. I cannot find in the book most of what Ben Jury says. Moreoever, I cannot agree with him saying "[c]ode reuse should be 'black box', ie ActiveX dlls or controls". Doesn't he know the success of Linux? By replacing the first 30pages with eXtreme Programming, rather than just VB error handling, you will enjoy better programming.
Rating: 
Summary: Some userful information, but most of it impractical
Review: While there are some useful tips in this book, there are also a lot of impractical ideas. It comes as no suprise to find that the author teaches VB at a college level, because many of the suggested standards are only practical as an academic exercise and would not work well out in the "real world".
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