[.ca] C++ Builder 6 Developer's Guide with CDROM (ISBN 1556229607)

The best C++Builder book for Database and Distributed develo:
Unlike many other books written on C++ related technologies, this book discusses all the new technologies supported by C++Builder, and fundamentals of desktop and database development with the same level of emphasis. With regard to database development all the three technologies supported by Borland, BDE, ADO and the new dbExpress are discussed at length. This book is as useful to a new C++Builder developer interested in learning C++Builder, as it is to an experienced developer who is interested only in advanced development concepts of the product. This is a notable feature of the book. In nut shell, new developers will be benefited by the whole book, while the advanced developers will be benefited by about two thirds of the book. In my opinion, the author is very smart in choosing the book's contents to make it useful for every kind of reader.

Stick with Borland's Development Guide:
This is not the book to buy on the subject of C++ Builder 6. Save your money on this one and go with Borland's development guide on C++ Builder 6.

Response to a review dated March 10, 2003:
I am the author of this book, and I feel I should write a response to this review made by "A Reader" from NY,NY on March 10, 2003, which, in my opinion, is made without going through the book in detail, or even attempting to use the examples. This book is certainly not on the C++ language; however, it is written for C++Builder developers very carefully to bring out many features not documented in the manuals. Extensive set of example projects are created throughout the book making sure that these programs compile and execute well. Extensive editing has been done by me and the publisher to minimise the possibility of errors. The book is written to be useful for both newcomers and experienced professionals. Obviously every book will not satisfy every need of every individual; however, it does not mean the book is useless. Book reviews are really appreciable when they bring out both the strengths and weakneses of the book in DETAIL rather than just a simple sentence; then only reviews are useful to the potential buyers. In addition, the book is really handy, without compromising on the quality of contents, and one can carry it easily and read while in travel also, not like the bulky books which are difficult to carry.

Must have for all C++ developers using borland technology:
This book serves well both novices and experts by providing answers to technical questions such as simple "how to" s, as well as presenting useful pointers on rather complex concepts that make further research easier. The author does an excellent job of helping readers comprehend and appreciate the overwhelming features of C++ builder, by offering a step by step approach in explaining fundamentals as well as advanced concepts. This book explains in clear and simple terms why C++ builder is not just a compiler but a feature packed, fully integrated development environment, which is essential for developing high performing, user friendly applications. The chapter on C++ advanced concepts does a commendable job in jogging your C++ memory. The first part of the book covers in great depth how to use the set of tools provided by C++ builder to develop database applications with ease and effectiveness. The author presents in great detail how to take advantage of the features of C++ builder to develop simple, as well as advanced database applications. Part two provides the web developers using Borland technology an excellent source of information along with examples to understand the difference among verity of proprietary architectures currently available. Finally, an entire chapter on advanced topics is well justified and serves as a prelude to upcoming technology innovations. Quite simply, this book is a must have for all serious developers using Borland Technology.

Good information, poorly presented:
Not having used C++Builder for several years, I was looking forward to reading this one to learn the new bits of v6, and pick up some pointers on BDE while getting there. The book was very frustrating to me. There are some people who can explain topics in an easy-to-follow fashion. The author of this book excels at making topics as complex as possible, using multisyllabic words whenever possible, and just generally trying to appear erudite. Opening the book at random, I came across this sample: "A web application module is typically a TWebAppPageModule object or a TWebAppDataModule object. The TWebAppPageModule component should be used if our application is to generate at least one web page; in other words, our application is of page module type. (p307)" I'm not planning on throwing it away, but it's not a book to keep by the computer. For many topics, I can get more useful information from Borland's on-line help. This book feels like a surface skim of BCB6, with the occasional deep dive with extremely specific examples. I should have figured that at a bit over a third the size of C++Builder 5: A Developers Guide, quite a bit would be missing, particularly with all the cool new components in BCB6. For example, under "Developing custom components", the author states that this is a topic that could occupy an entire book. He then gives two pages of notes and code fragments that did not help me at all. CB5:ADG above, on the other hand, has an entire chapter, 74 pages, and actually provides the information needed for the task. Why bother including this topic if the information is useless? I also have to admit, I found the fact that the author had to come here and respond to critics with five stars not only amusing, but worth taking one star away from my own review (which otherwise would have been three stars). This is by no means a five star book.