VB.NET and the .Net Platform (Beta 2)

by Andrew Troelsen

Author Andrew Troelsen shows developers how to use VB .NET for developing virtually every possible kind of .NET application. From Windows-based to Web-based applications to ADO.NET to XML Web... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1893115267
• ISBN13: 9781893115262
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Apress
• Length: 1200 Pages
• Weight: 3.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.2" x 7.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Simpler explanations help

Being a VB6 programmer, I was looking for a good book to introduce VB.NET. After reading Cornell and Morrison's "Programming VB .NET: A Guide for Experienced Programmers" and Appleman's "Moving to VB .NET: Strategies, Concepts, and Code", I think Troelsen does a better job. The two previous books are excellent with insight and tips on how VB has changed in VB.NET. (And yes, it's almost a new language.) Yet Troelsen takes the time to illustrate the concepts with very basic code and examples including output. Cornell/Morrison and Appleman have code examples too, but I felt they were cramped for space in their books. Thus, they left out some minor explanations that may make you say, "Aha!" Because of the sheer size of this book, it has plenty of fascinating details to programming with .NET. By the way, the sample code for all these books are available on-line which is really helpful when it comes to investigating how things work in depth.Something that stands out is that Troelsen starts with explaining the .NET Platform in detail enough to understand why VB.NET behaves as it does. For example, strings are immutable. Each of these books stresses and illustrates what this means, but Troelsen is the only one that clearly defines why.Troelsen also writes clearly and concisely; his book is part teaching and part reference. For advanced programmers, perhaps Appleman would be a better choice as he jumps into complex topics and illustrates them with bare-bones examples (as an aside, Appleman is a very colorful writer and he tries hard to make reading enjoyable). For the rest of us with some programming experience, Troelsen goes that extra step to make it easier to understand. For the completely new programmer? While Troelsen does spend some time on the basics, I think some solid understanding of OOP and some VB6 exposure are really required.Good luck with .NET everyone!

A Fun Book to Learn .NET/VB.NET

I am using this book for classroom training of VB.NET. It is easy to understand and fun to learn from. Some points about the book that I have include:: This book dedicates a chapter to graphics programming with VB.NET using GDI+. Most other .NET books don't cover this.: There are plenty of illustrations in the book to help explain the topics being covered. Too bad that there are fuzzy images (although still readable) in the book up to page 157; the remainder of the images are sharp.: There must be an internal joke at Intertech about how to spell the word "busy" (see page 375). I thought for sure he would correct it after his C# book (see page 339, ISBN: 1-893115-59-3) came out. Maybe I am reading this section wrong.: Much of the content of this VB.NET book is similiar to the content of his original C# book but with the VB.NET language and content corrections. This is an improved book!: Many of the examples in his .NET books build upon each other. If you need to try an example in the middle of a chapter, you either need to build from the start of the chapter or download the source code.: The online errata is quite nice on the Apress site. The author was given the power to update it on the Apress web site as he wishes.: The info is skimpy on web services (roughly 45 pages). You will need another book on advanced web service techniques. I expect this with a "blanket" book on VB.NET.I recommend this book to people wanting to learn VB.NET. It was written by a teacher who knows his stuff. The book is easy to read too.

Key practical resource for the hard-core VB developer

If you are tired of worthless first-peek .NET books, this is the one to buy. I found the content to be excellent and the format good for picking and choosing what I needed. I particularly like Mr. Troelsen's approach of doing code by hand first before going through the VS.NET wizards. Some of the single-chapter intros to .NET technologies were better than entire books I've read on the subject (quite a feat!).This is a great practical companion to Dan Appleman's "Moving to VB.NET" which does a great job providing the theory behind .NET in general and VB.NET specifically.Let's hope Mr. Troelson writes some follow-up books on the subjects he dealt with in one chapter in this book (may I suggest GDI+).

Another 5 star by Andrew Troelsen and Apress

I had received a copy of Andrew's C# book in one of his classes earlier this year, and had to get this book as soon as it came out. I loved this book too. I've been reading technical books for a long time and each time I pick up a Andrew Troelsen book I never regret it. With this new book, Andrew has delivered another winner. This book is a must have for any developer looking to make the jump to VB.NET. There is a ton of code packed into this 900+ page book. I would certainly recommend this to any VB developer looking to move to VB.NET. It is an easy-read and Andrew is really a gifted author. Thanks Andrew!

About TIME!!

This is the first VB.NET book that I have read that really make it all clear for me. There are a ton of books hitting the shelves and they all seem to be tossed together, not this one. Mr. Troelsen has a very clear understanding of the topic and has a unique way of conveying that to the reader. I have heard a lot about Mr. Troelsen from my C++ counterparts. If your debating which VB.NET book to spend your hard earn $$ and time reading, I will make it easy for you... THIS ONE.