Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005

Pro .NET 2.0 Windows Forms and Custom Controls in C#

Visual C# 2005: A Developer's Notebook

Pro SQL Server 2005

Programming

Pro C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform, Third Edition

Format: Hardcover
Author: Andrew Troelsen
ReleaseDate: 08 September, 2005
Publisher: Apress
Rating:

Is this the best that C# education can offer?
I knew it was from an expert MS author with many titles in his belt and a highly acclaimed technical instructor, so I was expecting an outstanding text. Coming from a Java background, and with obvious prejudices against Microsoft I have taken much care in the choice of this book. Well, I am very disappointed. While techically accurate and covering a large amount of topics, this book has been a pain to read even for a very interested and curious programmer like me. The writing style is annoying at best, the author makes a mouthful out of every simple and straightforward concept. It really looks like deep inside he feels that explaining a concept in less than 10 lines is a sin. It also reminds me of that typical annoying student who kows lots of things superficially but never seems to get the real point about what they mean deep down. Also, this book is an hybrid between a reference and a tutorial: at the start of every topic you are invested with reams of interface code and reference tables, and only after you wade through all that you finally get to some simple illustrative examples. My personal taste and experience as a techical instructor tells me it should be the other way around. Finally, the breadth of the topics covered (from the very basics of the language & OOP, to Window Forms, to Remoting, to ADO. NET, to ASP, Web Services etc) is way too much to be treated decently ina single book, even in a big one like this one. And the very redundant writing style of the author makes things even worse. I would much prefer that this book covered less topics but in more detail and depth, or that it was split in two volumes, like Core Java.
I am under the impression that since C# is a proprietary language it is being avoided by university professors and hackers, so even if it is a definitely well conceived language it is going to lack a lot of the intellectual support in training and tutoring that comes with other languages like C++ or Java.

ideal as a general reference on C# and .NET 2.0
NET. This 3rd edition is a great reference for those who already have had some exposure to C# and . When you're encountering some aspect of the . NET framework for the first time, this is the type of book you can go to first before jumping into MSDN.

In each chapter, the author does a good job of explaining architecture and how things work from first principles. When documenting a framework class for the first time, a description of the important members is typically shown in a neat table. The example code throughout the text is easy to follow and I found I could read the book from end to end without downloading the source code. I like the author's approach of showing you how to do things by hand, or using the command-line tools first, before showing how to do it in VS 2005. This helps me to understand what is happening behind the scenes.

Of course, no single volume can tell you everything you need to know about . NET. What's important though is that this book gives you a good foundation before you look at more detailed texts on specific . NET areas. For example, I really liked the chapters on reflection, ADO. NET and ASP. NET. Good overview of architecture and the main features.

Others have commented on the writing style and I would have to say that overuse of some phrases such as "Do understand . . . " did catch my attention, but unfortunately in the same way that an exclamation point at the end of the sentence would have as well.

I ordered the book online and for some reason, a couple of the pages were damaged. I didn't notice it until I had almost finished reading it. On one page, there was a quarter-sized hole in the middle of the page. On another page, a square inch of text was completely blanked out. Luckily, the book came with an option to download the PDF version.

Seriously, developer to Developer
First saw it at B&N. I have been reading this book for a while now. Very comprehensive, and very detailed in . NET framework. Great book to pick up if you want to re-visit your fundamentals, or start with C# for the first time. Writing style is pretty descriptive, and details the intricacies where necessary, but not always. For example, I found the description of Garbage collection a little less that what I read in MSDN's article written by Jeffrey Richter.
I'm looking forward to reading his next book CLR via C# (or something to that effect). . . you can expect a review soon.
What I did not like about the book sometimes were some examples, for example when he explains delegates, he uses an example of a car that blows up below a certain speed.
Fun, but different in approach. Maybe he did serve his purpose of making the reader remember about the subject by including such unconventional examples.
If you are serious about . NET, go get this book. A definate read, especially if you are looking forward to giving the foundation exam of . NET for the next set of certifications Microsoft is coming out with.