Product Description
The .NET framework is the first development platform designed from the ground up with the Internet in mind. In order to incorporate VB developers within this framework, Microsoft have introduced a number of new features to VB.NET, not least a move to full object-oriented programming and greatly enhanced web design facilities.

This book will give the experienced programmer insight into these new and enhanced features, so as to allow them to begin designing and writing real-world applications, which fully utilize the exciting power of VB.NET. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Good Overview
This is a good preview of the technology.It doesn't have a lot of in depth coverage of VB.Net and it is not current, but it is good to show you what can be done and what changes.It is sometimes confusing as to what is VB6 and what is VB.Net if you are not well versed in VB6.

Now replaced by "Fast Track Visual Basic.NET"
Thanks to those who had kind things to say about this book. Rocky and I had a blast writing it, and we're glad it was helpful.

But things have moved way beyond beta one now, and this book is obsolete and out of print. Recently we finished a complete rewrite of this book for the production version of Visual Basic .NET. That new book is called "Fast Track Visual Basic.NET." We used this book as a starting point, but we did a lot of refinement, and we think it's an even better intro to VB.NET.

If you liked this book and wanted to recommend it to others, point them to "Fast Track". I've placed a link to it in the section above on alternatives to this book.

Billy Hollis

Good, Beta, Best
OK, while we're waiting for the real thing, the public betas are out there being played with. Being worked with. As they were free, or a nominal charge, there's a lot of programmers working with VS.NET, especially VB.NET.

This book is excellent. Well-written, full of code samples, aimed squarely at Visual Basic.

It covers the Beta 1, but there is a web update for Beta 2, so if something doesn't work (mostly in the data access), then go check the web.

Of limited use once the RTM ships, with that caveat I recommend this book to all serious VB developers. Get stuck in!

Good Introduction
Good introduction to the .Net product.Need to have a solid programming background and solid knowledge of OOP to get the most out of this book.I would recommend it except that Beat 2 is out and this book is out of date in many areas now as the product has changed (especially in the web application area).

Obsolete already.Written using Beta1
This book was written using the Beta 1 release.It is now obsolete and is no longer published. ... Read more

Product Description
Object-oriented programming originated with the Simula language developed by Kristen Nygaard in Oslo in the 1960s. Now, from the birthplace of OOP, comes the new BETA programming language, for which this book is both tutorial and reference. It provides a clear introduction to the basic concepts of OOP and to more advanced topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Interesting language, opaque writing
BETA is an instructive example in the history of OO programming, but never really took off.

The language does contain a few worthwhile ideas. In languages like Java or C++, subclass methods can over-ride superclass methods, and optionally dispatch to the superclass. In BETA, the "inner" form of dispatch means that the superclass always controls the caller's interface, and optionally dispatches to the subclass. That's very attractive when the superclass doesn't necessarily trust subclass over-rides to maintain important invariants. BETA also goes a big step beyond the getX/setX methods that commonly export attributes. In BETA, the same syntax is used for assignment to variables as for methods calls. You can't tell the difference, by looking at the caller, whether you're looking at a reference to an attribute or to an accessor method. Although odd in other respects, that's one case where the assignment/call unification can solve some problems. Constructs for parallel programming a strength, but exception handling is a weakness and the <> interface definitions go beyond just weak. Scoping for programming in the large is mostly in the writers' imaginations.

The language uses peculiar syntax. The least of the problems is that the "left hand side" of an assignment is on the right, and that many syntactic markers rival C trigraphs for ugliness. The Danish authors generally use very good English, but often choose inexplicable terms (like "pattern") for familiar notions (like C++ "class"). As noted elsewhere, this is the only BETA book around, so there's really nothing to compare it to.

I'm not aware of any current use of BETA, so this book is of historical interest only. It's instructive as a bad example in choosing syntax for a programming language, but also as a good example for some of its creative semantics. I look forward to seeing some of those good ideas enter the main stream.

//wiredweird

theoretical but very interesting
The Beta language is a relatively new OO language with some very innovative aspects. One of the key inventers of Beta was Kristen Nygard, the same person who invented Simula, the first OO language. However I wonder if Beta will ever be used for commercial projects. Beta is a very powerfull language, well designed, but is definitely not the most easy programming language. Reality shows that for commercial projects, more simple programming languages are the most popular ones.
This being said, this book is a very good intro to Beta and it can also serve as a more advanced book on OO programming concepts.The book does not only explain how to program in Beta, but also why the Beta language is designed the way it is. Also a lot of comparisons are made with other programming languages. This makes it an excellent book for understanding why OO languages are designed the way they are ...

I can strongly advice this book to anyone intersted in programming languages....

For people interested in Beta, you can download a compiler with IDE for free from the internet site : http://www.mjolner.com

Only book on BETA
Since this is the only book on BETA, the rating is meaningless.But this is a competent book technically, but it is a dry book.The prose is awkward in many places, probably due to that fact that the authors are all Danes.

The BETA language is conceptually more advanced than C++ or even Eiffel; it's sad that no one seems to be using it. ... Read more

Product Description
C# is a new object-oriented programming language in development from Microsoft. Based on C++ it contains features similar to those of Java. The intention is to combine the computing power of C++ with the programming ease of Visual Basic.

C# has been created with the Internet in mind and an aim to balance power with productivity. It provides rapid web development for the C++ and C programmer.

Forming part of the new .NET initiative, C# is designed to be used in conjunction with Microsoft's .NET platform of products. C# makes use of XML data and SOAP in order to simplify programming, these facilities allow the user to build on existing code rather than making repeated duplications. C# is expected to make it faster and less expensive to market new products and services. Microsoft's aim for this product is to facilitate the exchange of information and services over the Web and to enable developers to build highly portable applications.Amazon.com Review
With Microsoft's new C# and .NET framework due out later in 2001, Windows C++ developers are scrambling for reliable sources of information on this new platform. C# Programming with the Public Beta fills this need with a fast-moving tour of the latest from Microsoft on what C# and .NET will offer.

The goal of this concise volume is to get the reader up to speed on what C# is and how it fits into the Microsoft vision for the new .NET. To this end, the book presents a solid tour of .NET features from the Common Language Runtime (and virtual machine) and platform features such as better control of deployment and interoperability with COM, as well as new APIs like ADO.NET (for databases) and ASP.NET (for dynamic Web pages). While sometimes necessarily sketchy (since the material is still emerging from Microsoft), the authors provide short, effective examples on such topics as programming databases with ADO.NET, a simple component deployed with .NET, and Web programming with ASP.NET. In all, this cross section of the APIs and technologies that will be delivered on the .NET platform is quite good.

The other focus of the book is a nicely compact tutorial for C# geared to those with some C++ and/or Java experience. These chapters move quickly through what you'll need to know about C#, from basic data types, flow control, and class design tips, to more advanced features (such as creating and invoking C# objects dynamically or using "unsafe" legacy C++ code from within C#). The Visual Studio .NET (Beta 1) environment and tools are examined thoroughly, as are Microsoft's plans for integrating legacy technologies like COM into the new .NET and C#. Short samples demonstrate the basic programming strategies. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction to the Microsoft .NET framework
• The Common Language Runtime (CLR)
• Intermediate language (IL)
• COM+ versus .NET
• History of C, C++, Java, and C#
• Types of .NET applications
• In-depth tutorial to C# (including data types, operators, flow control, exception handling, and classes)
• Overview of Visual Studio .NET (Beta 1) development environment and tools
• Object-oriented programming in C#
• Using classes and inheritance
• Boxing and unboxing objects
• Operator overloading
• Interfaces
• Properties
• Indexers
• Delegates and events
• Advanced C# features (including variable argument lists, reflection, dynamic creation and invocation, attributes and "unsafe code")
• The C# base classes (dates and times, accessing files and folders, Web browsing, and mathematical functions)
• Building Windows applications with WinForms (including programming with controls)
• The ADO.NET object model and basic database programming with .NET
• Deploying components and assemblies with .NET (including security features with shared names)
• Early and late binding with COM objects in C# (including using ActiveX components)
• New COM+ services and how to use them in .NET
• Web programming with ASP.NET
• Using Web services (including the Simple Object Access Protocol, SOAP)

Customer Reviews (31)

Describes foundation of C#, .NET and VS.NET
This book will probably be a hit or miss for you, with no in-between ground.You can see by the reviews people either loved it or hated it.

I believe some people like to make assumptions about the basics of a language as they learn the more complex subjects.Others like to see the basics spelled out, then take off like rockets.

If you fall into the second group, as I do, then I think you will enjoy this book.I probably won't refer to it again, but reading this book will help me absorb the more complicated aspects of using C# and .NET all the faster.

I like to separate learning _what_ all the new C# and .NET features are, from _how_ I should use them.This simple book focuses on the _what_.With a solid understanding of the pieces of C# and .NET, I can now focus exclusively on learning _how_ to best use these new features, via other books.

This Book is Obsolete!
Do not buy this book for the sole reason that it is obsolete.It was written using the Beta 1 so none of the code works anymore.If you don't believe me download the sample code from Wrox and try to complile it.Try the chapter 7 code for files and directories.You'll notice they use "System.WinForms" which doesn't exist, plus they try to do things like "File f1 = new File("c:\\blah\\blah.cs");"Which doesn't work either!

my first good book about c#
This book is very essential to get confidence with c#. you can begin to understand .net platform and how to build web services very fast.

A Waste of Money
Do NOT get this book. It is a sham. It is unfortunate that I have to say that because I LOVE Wrox books. I have to say this is the first Wrox book I have ever been dissapointed with. There is nothing of use in this book. The examples are useless, too short and not explained at all. You want to learn C#? Just get the free Beta and go through the tutorials included in the MSDN package - they're really good.

Good introductory overview
This book covers a nice introductory overview of much of the syntax, environment, and usage of the C# language, the .NET structure and base classes, the VS.NET development environment, its use in ASP.NET, a bit on COM and COM+ interoperability, etc. -- most of the general aspects of the new C# programming language and its use. This book is NOT a serious programming course that will have you up and running in C# by itself; a somewhat thicker tome will likely be required for such ambition. It does make for a good survey intro for developers who want a lighter introduction or who perhaps haven't decided yet to go for the full C# deal, and can be followed up with a more in-depth text for the serious soon-to-be-C#ers.

Particularly interesting to C++ and Java developers will be the sporadically inserted C++ Notes and Java Notes: specific notes for people coming from C++ and Java about how a certain feature of C# relates to and/or differs from a similar feature in either or both of these languages. (Even as one not coming from either of these languages, I found these notes interesting and useful.)

The one significant drawback issue I had with this book is the few scattered barrages of odd or broken grammar, and the occasional seemingly contradictory statement. These weren't enough to detract heavily from the value of the book (IMO), but they were quite distracting in places, and should be addressed more seriously in any future editions of the book.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this book, and am looking forward to following it up with that more in-depth text.... ... Read more

Product Description
This ground-breaking text uses the Java language to teach the first course in programming for computer science majors. Decker and Hirshfield have built a strong reputation for computer science texts with The Analytical Engine and The Object Concept. Java, the new programming language for the Internet, offers cross-platform portability (i.e., it works on IBM, Macintosh, Unix, etc.) and the ability to deliver interactive applets, such as animated games, over the net. Decker and Hirshfield use Java to introduce students to object-oriented programming without the many pitfalls of C++. Because Java is not yet fully developed and standardized, PWS offers this special beta edition in anticipation of a full first edition that will implement the standard Java when it is complete. ... Read more

Product Description
Beginning Visual C# is now available. Beginning Visual C#is a new edition of this book, and is fully compatible with the finalrelease of the .NET Framework. We strongly recommend that you orderthe new edition, Beginning Visual C# in preference to this edition.

C# is Microsoft's brand new programming language for its new platform, the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework consists of a runtime environment for managing the execution of our code, and a whole host of class libraries for performing almost any programming task you can think of. Although .NET code can be written in many languages, C# is the only language designed specifically for the .NET Framework, and as such is set to become the language of choice for writing .NET applications for years to come.

This book will be an indispensable guide as you learn to write C# programs, gradually explaining the key concepts of C# and .NET as your skills develop. After a thorough explanation of the basics of the C# language, we take an in-depth look at object-oriented programming in C#, before moving on to see how we write Windows applications in C#. We also show how you can create dynamic web pages and web services in C#. Finally, two case studies provide full examples of C# applications in action and show how it all ties together.

This book covers:

- The C# language
- .NET Programming with C#
- Object-oriented programming
- Writing Windows applications
- Accessing databases
- Writing web pages and web services in C#Amazon.com Review
Suitable for even those new to programming, Beginning C# presents a thorough and digestible tutorial on C#, the premiere new language for the Microsoft .NET Framework. This well-paced guide strikes a good balance between covering the language itself and the underlying .NET platform. It can put C# within reach of a wide range of readers of all abilities.

Weighing in at over 1,300 pages, the volume is big but never dense. The authors do a good job at focusing on the C# language first, with a minimum of cheerleading for the .NET platform. The book jumps right in with a well-paced language-based tutorial that covers everything, from basic data types and flow control to elements of class design in C#. Instead of assuming a lot of knowledge of other programming languages, the text takes the reader through from the very beginning, proving that C# is indeed a good first language to learn. The book is good at pointing out how to take advantage of tools and wizards available in Visual Studio .NET, which can help simplify class design. Clear explanation of advanced features of the language, like properties, indexers, events and delegates, and operator overloading, all get their due, illustrated with short code excerpts.

As the title progresses, it circles back toward the .NET platform itself, first with several sections on core APIs like strings and collections that will let you do more with C# with less work. A nice introductory chapter looks at Windows Forms for building traditional thick clients, while a section on ASP.NET introduces Web development on .NET. New APIs for database programming in ADO.NET and Web services are also covered.

The text closes with two longer case studies that show off C# in action--in an ASP.NET-based Web site for online polling, plus a fairly involved newsletter site with good administrative control of subscribers. These longer samples are fine, but it's the careful choice of shorter code excerpts, along with the authors' patient and clear explanation of key C# language features, that will help this book really fly. It's a strong choice for learning the basics of C# in a hurry, whether you are coming to Microsoft's new language from C++ or Java or are brand new to programming. While C# is still very new, the authors of Beginning C# manage to pack a lot of material that nails down this language accurately into a well-presented tutorial format that ranks with the best. --Richard Dragan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Very good step-by-step progression for learning C#
Great learning material.Following the examples and the natural progression of the book is a great method for learning C# with practical examples.Very straight forward approach without being too verbose.

Good buy if you can get a bargain price on it.
The 1st edition is now out-of-date. I think it was written for an early or beta version of .NET. But..., if you find this, second hand, at a bargain price it's still a good buy. You can still get the errata and sample code from the APress web-site (not the Wrox site!). The book gives a good introduction to C# but I wouldn't recommend it too highly to someone who had never done any programming before. It's recommended for people who have already learnt one programming language. The book does a good job of teaching OOP programming in C# to people who already have some programming experience (but not with OOP). When working through the sample projects everything went well for me with the sample code until the last 2 case studies. I was able to convert all the projects to VS.NET 2003 and to figure out the occasional line of code I needed to rewrite to get the projects working. Things seem to have got a little rushed at the end with the 2 final case studies. I couldn't get them to work and didn't even understand how the first was supposed to work (from the non-explanation given in the text). The other criticism I have of the book is that there aren't enough exercises at the back of the chapters and that sample answers to exercises aren't given. Note: book authors - this (sufficient exercises with sample answers) is an essential requirement for a serious book aimed at beginners.

Because to these smallish flaws it gets only 3 stars. It could've been a 5 star book with a little more care; so it still comes highly recommended if you can get it for less than $5.

This was a review of the 1st edition of the book.

BORING
This is a great book - it explains the concepts quite well, for a person like me, with a PHP background. However, it's incredibly boring. The first 250 pages of the book is dedicated to many small hello-world-style examples of code, which really doesn't explain why or where one should really use enumerations, structs and stuff - I would have preffered to be walked through larger, real-life applications instead. Don't get me wrong - this book is great for looking up stuff, but as a beginner, it's better to complement it with a more hands-on approach.

Helpful but sloppy
This book has very good intentions and covers things in a good solid order, BUT, the mistakes are just plain sloppy. Please don't tell me this book was seriously edited, because you can tell immediately that it was not. If I wrote documentation at work as sloppy as this book was written, I'd be in trouble. On the flip side, the excercises were very helpful, and the authors do a decent job simplifying the topics enough for beginners to grasp them.However, true beginners should start with C# for Dummies.I hope the second edition really cleans things up though. Wrox should allow for mail-in rebates when second editions come out so quick. I'm sure many of us would be happy to tear off the back cover of the first editions and send it in for a check in return!

THE BEST BOOK--GO FOR IT !!!
This is a great book.Easy to follow.As with any computer book, boring to read, but not at all hard to follow--with exception of few points here and there.The reward comes when you apply it and when you finish reading it.

This book is an answer to my prayers for finding something that will teach me dot net and C# in a comprehensive and easy to learn way.

All learning to program books are kind of boring, inluding this one.Easiest to read a bit every day and take a few months to finish, rather than trying to gobble up the hole piece and getting extremely bored.

My background is that of a mid-level progammer, working with VB 6.0.I had some knowledge about objects before I picked up the book.

kamlesh mistry... ... Read more

Product Description
Implement, operate, and use beta testing immediately with this hands-on guide to the best practices

Beta testing is a complex process that, when properly run, provides a wealth of diverse information. But when poorly executed, it delivers little or no data while wasting time and money. Written by a leading expert in the field, this book will help you reach the full potential that beta testing has to offer.

Michael Fine compiles the best practices to date so you can effectively bring beta testing into your company’s process to improve product quality. Using real-world case studies, this book begins by clearly explaining what a beta is and why you need one. Fine then explores the beta test procedure and walks through the best processes to use when implementing a test. He concludes by detailing the steps you should take after completing a test in order to take full advantage of the results.

With this book, you’ll gain a better understanding of what beta testing is, why every company needs a beta test program, and how to get the most from a test. Fine will help you:

• Understand all the steps involved in beta testing using real-world case studies
• Implement a beta test using best- known practices
• Produce better products based on the results of well-run beta tests
• Apply beta testing across many platforms and many technologies
• Improve on existing processes and identify critical issues

Customer Reviews (4)

Insightful and interesting
Having never managed a beta test or QA testing, I found this book insightful into the processes used. It was definitely a fascinating book full of valuable information for anyone interested in beta test management. I'd highly recommend!

Experience is Relevant
As the author of this book, I happy to hear criticism and welcome people sending me their opinions. However, it is important for people to understand that this book is for people who have have no experience with beta testing or are looking to improve an existing program.

If you have already a successful beta program, you do not need this book. If you have years of experience in conducting tests, this book will only confirm what you know. It is focused on best practices.

If you have a beta program and it doesn't work or if you have never beta tested before, then I believe you will get a lot of benefit from this book(...)

Tell me something I don't already know
I was disappointed with this book.I've worked 10+ years as
a software developer and manager so I guess I've seen everything
because this book didn't present any ideas/processes that
I hadn't seen from working in the industry.The examples
tended to be cute little stories which were lacking any real
depth.I would have rather seen some real "war" stories written
up in detail.This isn't a keeper

Excellent reference for conducting succesful betas!
Having previously coordinated beta tests at several companies, I've seen how a wonderfully executed beta can be in terms of value to the organization.. as well as how a poorly defined program can result in months of wasted time.

In reading the book, I can identify with several of the "gotchas" that the author points out (such as how crucial customer communication is during a test).The elements of a well run beta are clearly described, and are presented in such a manner that anyone can take the concepts as a template to apply in their own organization.

I have purchased a half dozen copies to distribute to various groups within my company, and hope to get both hardware and software teams to utilize the planning, execution, and post beta processes that are described in this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to improve the value of a beta test to their product - or needs to fix just one component of their current test procedure. ... Read more

Product Description
 This book, covering the public beta of Photoshop CS3 will get youup to speed with the new interface changes, and will help you learn allof the new features in the CS3 beta such as next generation Camera Raw,new and improved Bridge, Photoshop Lightroom Integration, improvedprinting, Nondestructive smart filters, black and white conversioncontrols, improved curves, automatic Layer Alignment and Blending, andmore. The Photoshop CS3 Beta is available free for download on Adobelabs for registered users of of either Photoshop CS2, Adobe CreativeSuite 2 Standard or Premium, Adobe Production Studio Standard andPremium, Adobe Video Bundle or Adobe Web Bundle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good overview of new Photoshop
This was really the only book I could buy now to get somewhat up to speed with the newest version of Photoshop.This is good for those already familiar with previous versions who want to get a better idea what to expect.Even when CS3 and other instructional manuals come out, this is very straightforward and quick to read covering the most important info.This is not for someone new to Photoshop.

Well, it came in well below my expectations
Ben Long used to be dedicated. Back in 2000 - 2002 his books were a joy to read. But his latest installment on "Adobe Photoshop Cs3 Beta First Look with Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw" was just hastily rushed to print. Apparently nobody even bothered with reading it. But even worse, the book lacks any structure and concept. So all in all, very dissapointing I must say. It's so sad I spend the money on such a useless book. Hmmm. Next time I'll be smarter!

In the Interim
Here's a book that will prove useful for a limited time.That's because Adobe Systems Incorporated seems to have adopted a policy of making a free, public beta release of its new software before coming out with a final version.It did that with Lightroom, and now, with Photoshop CS3.Unfortunately the help facility that comes with the Beta version is practically non-existent, although one can learn a little about PS CS3 by searching around the internet for various spots discussing the new software.

Ben Long's very brief volume is aimed at filling the need for some kind of guidance for users until a final version of PS CS3 comes out, and then several weeks later, lots of books come out.(Lightroom came out in late February, and at least a half-dozen Lightroom books are scheduled for publication before summer.)

Long's book only deals with the new features of PS CS3, and then only tells how they work.There is no advice on the application of the software.Don't buy this volume if you don't know how to use PS CS2, because there is no discussion of tools and practices that haven't changed.Yet I commend the publisher for producing this volume so quickly, because there was a real need for it.

You may well ask yourself why you even need to try the Beta version of PS CS3.Well for some people, there are tools available that will make it worthwhile making the Beta their main image processing software.For example, many PS users objected to using the old Bridge facility for the initial culling of pictures because although you could see an image almost full screen, you couldn't bring it up to 100% of the pixels, which is often necessary to make an accurate judgment about the quality of an image.The new Bridge allows 100% viewing.Long covers this feature, although, probably because there was an earlier iteration of Bridge when he wrote this, there are a few aspects of its use that he misses.Others who have despaired over the fact that application of filters was often destructive of the basic image, or not subsequently adjustable, or required the use of difficult keyboard commands to preserve the image, will appreciate the introduction of smart filters.

Some of the better features of Lightroom have also been introduced into the Beta like an improved Adobe Camera Raw interface, and Long describes these features nicely.

There are some things that PS CS3 Beta won't do, like embed EXIF data in a JPEG, that Long doesn't mention.That's why any serious user of PS CS3 will want to keep in touch with the CS3 discussion group on the Adobe web site.On the other hand, if you are getting started with the Beta version, this book will be of great help, at least for a while.

As a side note, there is no comparison between PS CS3 and Lightroom here.Although some of the interfaces are similar, they do handle files differently, and each user will have to decide which software to use, especially since use of the one software may actually lose you some features of the other.But that's a different story. ... Read more

Product Description
Professional C# 2nd Edition is now available. Professional C# 2nd Edition is a completely revised edition of this book, and is fully compatible with the final release of the .NET Framework. We strongly recommend that you order the new edition (Professional C# 2nd Edition, ISBN 1861007043) in preference to this edition.Amazon.com Review
Given its patient and comprehensive tutorial style, Professional C# is a great choice for any developer stepping up to the plate with C# and the Microsoft .NET platform. With plenty of material geared to the specific needs of C/C++, Java, and VB programmers, this thorough tutorial packs some worthwhile advice within a well-paced guide to what you'll need to know to succeed with Microsoft's newest programming language.

Weighing in at over 1,300 pages, this text delivers a wealth of material on C# from a team of expert Wrox authors. It does a good job of covering all the necessary language and runtime features of C#. Early sections look at what's new and better in .NET, and then it's on to a close look at C# as an object-oriented language. A real strength of this title has to be its tutorial style, which works patiently to bring developers of all stripes to the brave new realm of C#. Material specifically geared to C++, Java, and VB programmers will let a wide range of readers learn C# effectively. (Concise appendices tailored to all three types of users show what's different about C# in comparison to these older languages.)

After covering the basics of C# itself, the book then zeros in on the APIs of the .NET platform. From basic string handling, collections, and support for Internet programming to material on graphics, you'll gain a command of some essential classes for everyday development. Sections on late-breaking standards and technologies like XML and Web services will help ensure that you get the most out of .NET.

Coverage of database APIs (with ADO.NET) and server-side programming (with ASP.NET) rounds out the tour. More specialized topics show how to create Windows services, and how to work with the older COM/COM+ standards in Windows. You'll also learn to work with corporate directories (via Active Directory) and the Windows Registry. C++ programmers in particular will appreciate the guide to class design in C#, which includes all relevant features in the newer language clearly spelled out.

Bundling a wealth of information on both C# and .NET, Professional C# provides a state-of-the-art tour of what's next for Windows programming. Regardless of whether you are coming to C# from a C/C++, Java, or VB background, this far-ranging yet thoroughly approachable guide can help you master the essentials of C# and the new .NET in record time. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction and overview of Microsoft .NET
• Compiling and running programs
• Intermediate language (IL)
• .NET base classes
• Assemblies and namespaces
• Tour of language options for .NET development (C# compared with other languages)
• Short history of C/C++/Java and C#
• Comprehensive C# language tutorial
• Data types
• Complex types
• Variables
• Operators
• Flow control
• Program structure
• Console I/O
• Using classes and inheritance in C# (including object-oriented design basics, properties, and inheritance conventions)
• Method overloading
• Constructors and clean-up methods (including Dispose() functions)
• Passing by reference and value
• Operator overloading
• Indexers
• Interfaces
• C# exception-handling classes and techniques
• Delegates and events
• C# preprocessor directives
• Unsafe code
• Tutorial for .NET base classes
• Comparing objects with Equals()
• String handling basics
• Regular expressions
• Collection classes
• Custom attributes
• Reflection
• Threading APIs
• Introduction to the Visual Studio.NET environment
• Programming with Windows Forms (including graphics and menu support)
• C# assemblies in depth (including the Global Assembly Cache, shared assemblies, and deployment)
• ADO.NET database APIs (including Command objects, data readers, and data sets)
• Using grid controls with data sources
• Tutorial on XML standards (including MSXML 3.0)
• Working with files, the Registry, and Active Directory
• Quick introduction to ASP.NET and Web Forms
• Introduction to Web services (SOAP and WSDL explained, plus a Web service-based room-booking sample service)
• Building custom controls
• COM and .NET interoperability
• COM+ transactions and other services in .NET
• GDI+ API graphics tutorial (including basic shapes, colors, fonts, and text output)
• Basic HTTP and IP network programming
• .NET remoting and distributed applications
• Creating Windows services
• Security issues in .NET (including code access, roles, and code groups)
• Quick tutorials for C++
• Java and VB developers migrating to C#

Customer Reviews (36)

Wordy, poorly written, boring, pointless examples.
The worst-written and most repetitive technical book I've read.Reads like the first rough draft: did anyone edit this book?

This book mentions twice in four pages how amazing it is that C# lets you use "goto" to get around its strict "switch" statements.Both times, the concept is introduced as if to a newbie, and both times, the authors praise Microsoft's infinite wisdom in allowing this.Twice in four pages!Other things repeated over and over at the beginning of the book include the concept that C# is managed code, how .NET saves the world, that C# is like Java, and that C# is not like Java.

Also, consider the following example method:
// This function takes an int array (a reference type)
// and an int (a value type).
static void SomeFunction (int[] Ints, int i)
{
Ints[0] = 100;
i = 100;
}

Amazing, huh?The cleverly named "SomeFunction" takes two arguments and inexplicably sets one and part of the other equal to 100.I imagine they left figuring out _why_ "as an exercise for the reader."

I'm not trying to whine.Some technical books -- The PickAxe, an introduction to Ruby, comes to mind -- have meaningful examples and concise, clear text and are a pleasure to read._Professional C#_ is just the opposite.

For a book that supposedly requires previous programming knowledge, it sure drags you through the basics of computer science over and over.(That said, do NOT start programming for the first time with this book as your guide.Quite a few times, I remember thinking, "Wow, I'm glad I'm already familiar with the concept of ______ because this is a horrible explanation!")

Someone said this book was long, and that meant it was complete.No, that just means it's wordy and repetitive.You've been warned.

Certainly a good book with much useful information
It's one of the best C# and .NET Framework introductions, but the problem is that, due to the extent of the subject, all the books that try to cover the whole .NET Framework in a single (even if big) volume are missing the point from a professional programmer point of view.
To have all you need to fully understand the .NET Framework it's absolutely essential to have a collection of books that cover every single topic in detail and they are appearing now.
If you want to save money and buy a good introduction especially about C# or you are an experienced programmer that ventures out to .NET and C# for the first time then it could be a good purchase, otherwise it's better to focus on the topics you are looking for and buy more specialized publications. A professional programmer could find it a little superficial in some parts and due to the usual hurry of Wrox Press to be first on target a little disjointed in others.

Certainly a good book with much useful information
It's one of the best C# and .NET Framework introductions, but the problem is that, due to the extent of the subject, all the books that try to cover the whole .NET Framework in a single (even if big) volume are missing the point from a professional programmer point of view.
To have all you need to fully understand the .NET Framework it's absolutely essential to have a collection of books that cover every single topic in detail and they are appearing now.
If you want to save money and buy a good introduction especially about C# or you are an experienced programmer that ventures out to .NET and C# for the first time then it could be a good purchase, otherwise it's better to focus on the topics you are looking for and buy more specialized publications. A professional programmer could find it a little superficial in some parts and due to the usual hurry of Wrox Press to be first on target a little disjointed in others.

Avoid this book with all cost
The writing of this book is too verbose.Some sentences contain more than 5 commas and I thought I was getting lost.It's very difficult to know what the author is trying to explain with those extremly long sentences.
Many examples are not adequate at all.Some of the logics in the examples are so bad, I couldn't see why the author added these to the book.They rather confuse you than helps you understanding the concepts behind C#.

I am sorry but it does look like a rough draft rather than a finished book.

Avoid this book with all cost
The writing of this book is too verbose.Some sentences contain more than 5 commas and I thought I was getting lost.It's very difficult to know what the author is trying to explain with those extremly long sentences.
Many examples are not adequate at all.Some of the logics in the examples are so bad, I couldn't see why the author added these to the book.They rather confuse you than helps you understanding the concepts behind C#.

I am sorry but it does look like a rough draft rather than a finished book. ... Read more

Product Description

“A highly readable and comprehensive reference to data access capabilities of the .NET Framework. Suitable for the newcomer and ‘guru’ alike.”

—Arpan Desai, program manager, System.Xml, Webdata XML Team, Microsoft Corporation

“This book goes beyond the typical API reference and goes in detail into why you would use each new feature, what scenarios they were designed for, and how things work from end to end. Great way of getting started with data access in .NET 2.0.”

—Pablo Castro, program manager, ADO.NET Team, Microsoft Corporation

“An insightful look at the XML features in version 2.0 of the .NET Framework v. 2.0 by one of the minds behind many of the innovations in the System.Xml namespace. Even though I was one of the Program Managers who worked on version 2.0 of System.Xml, Mark Fussell’s chapters still taught me a few things I didn’t know about working with XML in the .NET Framework. Truly an excellent work.”

—Dare Obasanjo, program manager, Communication Services Platform, Microsoft Corporation

ADO.NET 2.0 delivers dramatic improvements in relational data access and XML support, as well as outstanding integration with SQL Server 2005. Now’s the time to get a running start with ADO.NET and System.Xml v. 2.0—The Beta Version, the one book that delivers all the insights, best practices, and sample code you’ll need.

Customer Reviews (3)

Microsoft MVP 2005 - Visual C# recommended
There are numerous upgrades between .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0.Thankfully, this book focuses strictly on ADO.NET and how System.Xml is utilized with it.Not only do you learn about new capabilities, the authors do a good job of comparing new techniques/capabilities with those from .NET 1.1.

You'll want to carefully review the more simplistic methods for asynchronous database calls, XPathNavigator, and notifications..NET 2.0 is providing you with better and faster ways to work with data.You need to start getting familiar with them prior to the gold release this fall.

For Experts or people who want to become an Expert
This book is a worthy companion to Bob Beauchemin et al's First Look. And that is saying a lot.
David Sussman and Alex Homer have always written like they are trying to communicate rather than fill up another book. Mark Fussell joins the gang in an admirable way.
This book is not a fluffy introduction; it is a pretty dense explanation and reference of this new technology. There are plenty of detailed code examples that serve as a tutorial.
For a couple years now, Dare Obasanjo has been yelling from the mountain top - Use XPathNavigator! Use XPathNavigator. For that matter, so has Mark himself in his writings on the web.
Now with v.2 XPathNavigator is editable. And, as I now understand from reading this book, it is conceptually a `higher' object that the current Xml Dom. Now I get it! Few books will give the XPathNavigator its due as this one does.
Microsoft's Xml Schema objects are pretty complicated. This is so to a great extent because Microsoft sticks pretty close to modeling its objects after the w3 consortium's standards. Now, I understand this thanks to chapter 11. And I was able to do some things with schema that before I haven't known where to start.

There have been some changes to ADO.Net since the books release. Microsoft has wisely chosen do away with some new objects for connecting to the database in a stored procedure.
[...]
There have been other changes too where some new features were just too complicated (Table Value Functions).
This is a bummer, but still the value of this book's 528 pages far outweigh the 4 or 5 outdated pages.

SQL Server 2005 is an extraordinary product. Jump on board, get your seats! This book is your ticket.

deep integration of XML into ADO
This book shows how Microsoft supports XML as one of the core standards for interacting with its SQL Server database and with its entire .NET framework. The book divides into two parts. The first deals with pure ADO.NET improvements. Many of these. Perhaps the most tangible of which can lead to you writing less code, and hence [hopefully] more robust code.

It will depend a lot on the reader, but for me, I found the main thrust of the book to be in the second section. Which concentrates on showing how ADO.NET handles XML. You can see how it can publish relational data very naturally in an XML format. Indeed, the book shows how XML has the expressive power to also represent semistructured data that is inherently awkward to store in a relational database. (Except perhaps as a blob. But that just treats it as an opaque unitary entity, which is of limited use.)

A constant message in this part of the book is showing how System.XML is thoroughly integrated with ADO and with all of .NET. Professionally, if you are dealing with ADO or any other aspect of .NET, you need to bone up on System.XML. ... Read more

Product Description
Professional WinFX Beta: Covers "Avalon" Windows Presentation Foundation and "Indigo" Windows Communication Foundation

Windows development is about to dramatically change! WinFX is an object-oriented API that will allow you to create applications that take advantage of the exciting features in Windows(r) Vista (previously known as "Longhorn") while remaining compatible with Windows(r)XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003. Written by a team of Microsoft experts, this book introduces you to the pillars of this next-generation operating system, guiding you through the Windows Presentation Foundation (previously known as "Avalon") and the Windows Communication Foundation (previously known as "Indigo").

You'll first learn how to use the new Windows Presentation Foundation to create effective forms, use the XAML markup language, work with 2D and 3D graphics, and see how XAML interoperates with existing Windows Forms technology. Then you'll discover how to build Web Services and improve communication capabilities with the Windows Communication Foundation and architecture. You'll learn how to migrate existing DCOM and .NET remoting applications to Windows Communication Foundation or to make them interoperate with Windows Communication Foundation. Finally you'll work with integrating Microsoft ADO.NET and ASP.NET with Windows Presentation Foundation forms and data in the WinFX framework.

What you will learn from this book

• Techniques for creating and deploying WinFX applications from scratch and upgrading your current Windows .NET applications to incorporate WinFX
• How to use XAML to build a variety of forms, from simple to complex implementations
• Best practices for working with the Windows Presentation Foundation's themes, controls, annotation, and 3D features
• To implement secure, reliable messaging and transactions with Windows Communication Foundation and Microsoft Message Queueing
• To work with WinFX on any supported platform: Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista
• How to develop and implement Web Services using the Windows Communication Foundation

Who this book is for

This book is for the experienced Windows .NET programmer who wants to learn how to develop complex applications using the innovative features of Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft's WinFX beta 1 framework, the Windows Presentation Foundation, and the Windows Communication Foundation.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nice but not what I expect
Very simple and clear intro into the new Microsoft technologies as WCF and WPF but the book lacks deeper description of internal mechanisms on which those technologies are built. I'd rather call this book not "professional winfx" but rather "introduction to winfx" of "beginning winfx".

Better than Nothing
While there is practically nothing else available on WinFX, this book is a worthwhile purchase. It is difficult to escape the impression though, that the authors did not want to put much effort into it, because it is a beta product and book would be worthless when the final product is released. It would have made more sense to create a good reference that only needs tweaking for the final product.

At best, the book is skimpy. At worst, it is full of holes, such as references to “the configuration file” without specifying which configuration file. The reader is left to try to fathom whether it is the client application's config file, the server application's, the web.config file, the machine.config file or one or more new ones dedicated to Indigo.

The style of the book is just sufficiently strange to make reading it slow and difficult. Mostly, it is not difficult to understand (though I did find one sentence that nobody could decipher, not even in context), but phrasing is just different enough to make you pause and check that it is saying what you thought it was.

For example, program language elements and function names are almost universally in a different type face to regular text, but then one finds, “A double type valued property...” that is all in the regular type face. What is this? I assume it is, “A property with a type of'double'”, but one has to pause to check that there are no other reasonable meanings.

There is no background information in the book. For example, there is no explanation or speculation on why Microsoft might have chosen to create a new layout markup language (XAML) when there are other good standards in existence.

There are some really weird features that are not explained, not well described and not even acknowledged to be weird. An example is “dependency properties”. There is no explanation of why these exist or why conventional properties would not do. The description says they are 'static' methods, but all the examples show them being referenced as 'instance' methods and there is no explanation of this anomaly. There is a variety called, “attached dependency properties” that are “attached” to a container, just as a normal property would be, but is referenced by contained items, again, as a normal public property could be.

If an item, such as a button, is placed in a container, such as a canvas, one does not specify the position of the button relative the container's boundaries using the buttons position properties, as one would logically expect and as one would with the major, standard markup languages. Instead one specifies the button's position at the button level, but using the container's position properties. Strangely, this does not change the position of the container (canvas), but of the button. Furthermore, one can place another button in the container and specify its position using the same container's position properties as before and neither the container, nor the previous button changes position.

This approach also introduces the annoying effect of not being able to move a button from one type of container to another without also having to change its position specification. Overall, this approach is counter-intuitive and apparently a step backwards. It may be that Microsoft has uncovered some flaw that has eluded the rest of the world, but the book is totally silent on this.

One can learn from this book, but I don't feel I really understand WinFX or that I could comfortably deploy a WinFX application after reading it. ... Read more

Product Description
What is this book about?

ASP.NET 2 Beta Preview is timed to coincide with the first widespread beta release of ASP.NET "Whidbey" -- the new version of Microsoft’s popular technology for creating dynamic Web sites that pull unique information for each visitor rather that showing everyone the same static HTML pages. The book gets developers up to speed with the new features and capabilities that ASP.NET 2.0 provides. Developers will learn how to build ASP.NET 2.0 applications for themselves from the examples that the book provides.

This book is for ASP.NET developers making the transition to this new version of the technology. The changes are many, and in some cases, they're quite dramatic. The book spends a good deal of time alerting you to all that has changed and explaining what you need to know to make the transition to ASP.NET 2.0.

Finally, the book focuses on both the Visual Basic .NET and C# developer. Examples throughout the book do not favor one developer over another. Instead, every example is provided in both languages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Nice book
The book has 15 chapters and they are wisely categorized, starting from an introduction to ASP.NET 2.0 and why was it needed with some of its new features at a glance, it also discusses Visual Studio 2005 IDE enhancements and the new server controls like Grid View and Details View controls for effective display of information. It also has a chapter dedicated to Personalization and Membership and Role Management which is an awesome new feature.

It also discusses Web Parts and Portal Framework and some of the language enhancements in VB 8.0 and C# 2.0. The book also features SQL cache invalidation and its benefits, lastly it gives us an insight into the additional new controls shipped with ASP.NET 2.0 like Mutliview & View Server controls and Wizard Server control.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone seriously thinking to know more about ASP.NET 2.0 but note that this book was written for Beta 1 of ASP.NET, therefore there are some changes in the Beta 2 for example Directory Naming Changes and Compilation Model Changes, visit Updated Changes for Beta 2 and Features postponed for ASP.NET 2.0 Beta 2 for more information.

Happy reading!

For VB users & beginners only
I was unimpressed by this book. MSDN documentation was 10x better, they failed to include any reference to Remote Scripting or Callback methods, they didn't add in any reference of how to use client side script handlers or a number of features you would expect that are included in 2.0. If you want an update to all the past controls that you already know then this is great, if you want to delve deeply into the advanced new features of ASP.NET 2.0 then I don't recommend this. The author also is obviously a VB developer but pads the book by using a generic converter for most of his code, quite a poor display in my opinion.

Beta, Remember Beta, Not Yet a Bible.
Note that this is a book based on the Beta release of the software. Usually, emphasize usually, Microsoft Beta software is actually pretty far along and most of the changes from Beta to production are really just bug fixes and not changes in the look, feel, and functionality of the product. But this is not to guarantee that changes won't be included in the final release.

The biggest change I can see in ASP.NET 2.0 is on their approach to eliminate much of the intense coding that ASP.NET required. ASP.NET was quite verbose - doing a program was rather like writing War and Peace, and you had better be exactly right in your spelling, grammer, and punctuation. The goal was to reduce the amount of code needed by two thirds. And it appears that they've accomplished this.

The next major point seems to be that ASP.NET is integrated more closely with the rest of .NET. You use Visual Studio 2005 to build any type of .NET component, including ASP.NET. When microsoft says Integrated Development Environment, they mean it. All of their applications are tied together, some loosely, some more tightly, and the indications are that in the future they will be much more tightly.

All in all, this book is just what it says, a Beta Preview. It presumes some understanding of version 1, and tells you what's happening in version 2. It is amazing to see the amount of access and availability to resources within Microsoft that Mr. Evjen had to produce this book

Comprehensive, terse, guide to 2.0
This is a very well written guide to the new features in ASP.NET 2.0. The new controls are covered in depth, as are portals and personalization. Themes and skins are given their own chapter. The book is code and screenshot heavy. Exposition is kept to the bare minimum and sometimes less. The material is also terse and advanced enough to only be suitable for those who are familiar with ASP.NET 1.0.

Outstanding overview of V2 for experienced ASP.NET devs
Bill Evjen, one of the most prolific writers on all things ASP.NET, presents his latest technical literary offering with his overview of the Beta 1 release of ASP.NET 2.0. I've been playing with ASP.NET 2.0 since the early alpha bits, and I got a lot of out of this title.

Admittedly not a primer for the .NET neophyte, Bill dives right into the major changes in the architectural, infrastructure and syntactical concerns facing next-gen web developers. The book is a quick read, containing 16 succinct but not light chapters on the major areas of building and administering ASP.NET web applications. Although the book takes a slight slant towards Visual Basic .NET, nearly all the code samples are presented in both VB .NET and C#.

The book's high points, in my humble opinion, are evident in the "Membership and Role Management", "Personalization", "Additional New Controls" and "Changes to 1.0 Controls" chapters, being an outstanding breakdown of V2's improvements and new features for those respective topics.

Also to be appreciated is a great compendium featuring the new languages shipping with both VB .NET 8.0 and C# 2.0, including new enhancements to both languages like generics, partial classes and anonymous methods. He also breaks down new language-specific improvements, such as VB .NET's new keywords and C# iterators.

In criticism, I would have liked to see a discussion of authoring the revamped custom control development model, which the book didn't cover. But in Bill's defense, that respective programming convention isn't quite finished yet. The only other thing lacking would be more descriptive ASP.NET 2.0 APIs, which is usually a hallmark of Wrox-produced texts (the only area to get such treatment in this title is the WebParts/Portal Framework APIs). But then again, moving towards more declarative programming is one of V2's goals, so this may be intentional.

With the exception of Bill looking a bit harried on the cover, it's a masterful work: well-rooted in the ASP.NET fundamentals while accommodating advanced topics, accompanied by relevant, code-heavy examples, all written in Bill's very appreciated friendly voice, with the right timely intermingling of humor.

Bravo and cheers, Bill! Great work! ... Read more

Product Description
The Service Broker messaging feature of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 makes it easy to build a whole new class of reliable, asynchronous, and distributed database applications by offering unprecedented levels of reliability, performance, scalability, and fault tolerance.

Written by the Group Program Manager at Microsoft for SQL Server 2005 Service Broker, this book is a valuable resource for both database programmers who want to write Service Broker applications and database administrators who have to support those applications.

Technical accuracy is assured by Dirk Myers, Documentation Manager, SQL Server User Education, Microsoft Corporation.

This book comes with the following bonus materials:* Extra Chapter - Troubleshooting and Administration* Sample code shown in the book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Concisely comprehensive
Roger Wolter has written several major articles on SQL Server 2005 Service Broker, and so, when I ordered this book I wondered if it would be a re-working on those articles-NOT!
This book is completely new material and it is great. Mr Wolter finds the balance of being able to write real prose that is not overly chatty. It is dense and to the point, and yet readable.
When the subject comes to Service Oriented Architecture, Roger resists the urge, apparent in other authors, to write hundreds of pages of abstract statements. Instead he is able to explain his views on SOA in a matter of a couple dozens pages, which he illustrates with concrete code. Oh yes the code! The book is filled with code examples that have the look and feel of real production code-which is regrettably rare in computer books.
The code provides good examples of SQL Server 2005 new TRY CATCH syntax and the WAITFOR command.
My only quibble is that keywords in the code are inconsistently cased, but that doesn't dimminish my rating of five stars
Service Broker is a remarkable product. It is an asynchronous transactional messaging system that is nevertheless still SQL!
If you feel too busy to learn it, get this book. Roger wastes very few words in bringing you up to speed and beyond.

Introducing a New Class of Operations
Service Broker is a rather new concept in database development that Microsoft is building into SQL Server 2005. It basically allows the creation of a whole new class of database operations that can be written in TSQL and which run asynchronously as part of a queued system.

This concept adds a whole new dimension to SQL programming. It is an enormous extension to the standard capabilities of the language. As an example, a web server running an order entry application takes an order and puts it into the database. It quickly releases the web server to allow it to handle the next order. At the same time it puts information into a que to allow the back end processing of the order, inventory control, shipping, etc. to take place on a basis of operating when resources either on the database machine handing the order entry or an entirely different machine.

This book is written by the Group Program Manager for SQL Server Service Broker. It is the first book available and is based on the Beta release of the software. As I write this, the third Beta for SQL Server 2005 is available on the Microsoft web site. This Beta includes Service Broker as described in this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

too out-ofdate to be of any practical use
authors who jumped the gun and started writing books on asp.net before the final release were bitten by MS's changes in the RTM version of asp.net.

so don't read this book even if it's given out free; it will confuse you a great deal!

Informative Book About ASP.NET 2.0
ASP.NETv.2.0- is a very informative book that covers a lot of the new features offered in the new framework. Not only does the book cover the usual ASP.NET 2.0 topics but it also throws in extra tips/tidbits. I can't think of anything new to the ASP.NET 2.0 framework that was left out of the book. The book does a very good job of explaining the new features and goes into great detail(as evidenced by the length). The examples compliment the material very well.

I think this book is very useful for developers migrating to ASP.NET 2.0. The content is presented in a very straight forward and easy to understand way. The authors were very knowledgeable on the subject and provided great insight. I consider this book to be a great reference guide that I will use in the future. For example, in the Web Parts chapter there is a detailed list of properties that are included in the WebPartManager Class. Next to each property is a description of what the property is. This is a very useful reference to look at when trying to find out what a method/property is used for in a class.

Good Overview
This book covers most of the new features of 2.0. The text is clear and easy to follow. 2.0 allows you to accomplish declaratively what whould have taken many lines of code in 1.1; accordingly, the book contains far more declarative code than procedural code. The procedural code snippets are usually given in VB, but the snippets are simple enough to be understood by the C# programmer. There is almost enough detail for this to be a reference book while you are implementing 2.0 solutions, but the book covers topics so intrinsic to 2.0 that you will probably not need it once you've been building 2.0 sites for a little while.

many improvements, but no breakthrough
The book is a peek at version 2 of ASP.NET, which is due out sometime this year [2005]. It talks of the differences between this and version 1. The back cover breathlessly declaims of "Microsoft's latest Web development breakthrough". That is a lot of hype. Version 2 definitely improves upon version 1, but there are no conceptual leaps sufficient to warrant the appelation.

As an example, you had to manually edit the XML configuration file. Now there is a GUI tool that you can use. Easier and less error prone. Nice, but predictable.

Another improvement is the increased scope of declarative programming. Less procedural code to write and debug. And while it is possible to have bugs in declarative code, those tend to be easier to fix.

Then there are master pages, to form a template of actual dynamicweb pages. Useful. Somewhat analogous to Cascading Style Sheets. You can see how master pages are a good factoring out of a common look and feel.

All of these and other new features deservedly make this ASP a new version. Don't get me wrong. Just don't fall for any hype about breakthroughs.

Solid reference book
Very clear, systematic, detailed and illustrative style, examples make the book by Alex Homer a valuable resource for any .NET developer. Book examples can be either run or downloaded from http://www.daveandal.net/books/7278/. I liked the fact that the reader is given an opportunity to download and try to compile and run the examples or simply watch their execution in a web browser pointed to the above mentioned URL. That makes the material presented in the book more illustrative. For example, I started with data binding examples, sorting, filtering and XMLDataSource and Gridview. Security examples actually allow the reader to compare the "old" and "new" login controls, create users. Personalization and theme selection are presented, control enhancements, caching and configuration tool. These online examples definitely give a book an extra value. I tested examples using IE 6.0 and Netscape 7.1 browsers. I also downloaded the examples source code and tried to compile and run them after installing a .NET SDK 2.0 and Visual Web Developer Express 2005. Overall this is a solid reference book with broad and detailed coverage of ASP.NET v. 2.0. ... Read more