C# Programming with the Public Beta (ISBN 1861004877)

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)

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.

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!

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....

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.

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.