Programming C#: Building .NET Applications with C#

This used book was exactly as promised & was sent & delivered promptly, at a fair price. I would happily use this vendor again.

I never got the book. I emailed the seller & he did not reply 2 my emails.

I found this book one of the most confusing I've owned & I've bought 20 books in the past two years. The Author has a choppy writing style that leaves me highly confused. An example is the chapter on delegates & events...a short introduction, a complex example, a little more complex example, then more of a complex example...too much code samples & not enough concepts! I think a book should explain a basic concept with a short example first, then develop upward. Out of my collection of a few dozen books, I'm sad 2 say this ranks the lowest.

This is one of, if not the single most poorly written book I've ever read. If you want 2 read from a monotonous author who is overly presumptuous about your prior programming knowledge, then buy this book! But if you want 2 learn anything about programming C# in a somewhat reasonable, logical way that doesn't make you want 2 jump off a bridge - buy another book.

I'm an experienced php programmer with moderate knowledge on the principles of object-oriented programming, & this author just confused me more. Don't ever buy this book other than maybe as a reference if you're already an expert.

A natural first step 4 me when looking 4 a book is 2 see what O'Reilly has available. This book was the first hit in my search results. And that hit was a homerun. Jesse Liberty has written a rare Dot Net book, a book that does not waste precious text (read time) editorializing on the wonders of Dot Net or prediciting the extinction of all things not MS. The organization of material is natural & intuitive & Liberty's writing style encourages the reader 2 keep turning pages without resorting 2 corny jokes 2 do so.
Sections are handily decorated with comments pointing out areas where C# diverges from the legacy of its C++ & Java heritage. I've read more books than I care 2 mention that would have doubled their value had they included such annotations.Example code is relevant & well thought out; & it's available 4 download. Between this book & the near-infinite resources online, I don't think I'll need another C# book in my library.
This was a great book & I'd recommend it 2 anybody.

The programming language C# was built with the future of application development in mind. Pursuing that vision, C#'s designers succeeded in creating a safe, simple, component-based, high-performance language that works effectively with Microsoft's .NET Framework. Now the favored language among those programming 4 the Microsoft platform, C# continues 2 grow in popularity as more developers discover its strength & flexibility. And, from the start, C# developers have relied on Programming C# both as an introduction 2 the language & a means of further building their skills.

The fourth edition of Programming C#--the top-selling C# book on the market--has been updated 2 the C# ISO standard as well as changes 2 Microsoft's implementation of the language. It also provides notes & warnings on C# 1.1 & C# 2.0.

Aimed at experienced programmers & web developers, Programming C#, 4th Edition, doesn't waste too much time on the basics. Rather, it focuses on the features & programming patterns unique 2 the C# language. New C# 2005 features covered in-depth include:

• Visual Studio 2005
• Generics
• Collection interfaces & iterators
• Anonymous methods
• New ADO.NET data controls
• Fundamentals of Object-Oriented Programming

Author Jesse Liberty, an acclaimed web programming expert & entrepreneur, teaches C# in a way that experienced programmers will appreciate by grounding its applications firmly in the context of Microsoft's .NET platform & the development of desktop & Internet applications.

Liberty also incorporates reader suggestions from previous editions 2 help create the most consumer-friendly guide possible.

Jesse Liberty's Programming C# provides an adept & extremely well conceived guide 2 the C# language & is written 4 the developer with some previous C++, Java, and/or Visual Basic experience.

It's no secret that many computer books are pretty much devoid of an authorial personality. This title is a winning exception. The author is able 2 weave in clever examples (using such topics as his own long experience in computing, his dog, Star Trek, etc.) without being coy or getting in the way of presenting real technical information. Liberty's wide experience in computers & general writing skill shows, as he is able 2 draw on a wealth of examples 2 move his text forward.

These are a couple of goals at work in Programming C#. First, it's an excellent language tutorial, certainly one of the smartest & best available guides 2 C# as a language. Early chapters explore basic & obscure language options using inheritance, delegation, interface, & the conventions in C# used 2 implement these techniques. The middle part of the book turns toward the .NET Framework itself, with two useful (and somewhat introductory) chapters on both Windows Forms & Web Forms, 4 standalone & Web-based applications, respectively.

Later sections crank up the technical knowledge again with several advanced topics on understanding .NET assemblies & deployment in detail, as well as "reflection" APIs that allow .NET programs 2 essentially modify their code at run time. (One technique, reflection emit, which literally writes bytecodes, will definitely interest expert readers, though it's unlikely most programmers will need 2 do this.) Final sections look at the .NET stream classes (rivaled only by Java's 4 complexity). Liberty looks at basic file & network I/O as well as how objects get serialized & marshaled both 4 SOAP & Web services & "normal" .NET remoting.

The author's sure hand here in navigating the difficult waters of C# & .NET makes 4 a relatively concise text that is chock-full of useful information on C#. Filled with notably clever & inventive examples, this book is possibly this veteran computer author's best title 2 date, & it's sure 2 be a noteworthy resource as experienced developers tackle C# 4 the first time. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction 2 C# & the .NET platform
• A "Hello World" example in C#
• Tutorial 2 C# as an object-oriented programming language (types & variables, operators, namespaces, & preprocessor directives)
• Defining classes in C# (including static members, finalizers, overloading, & read-only fields)
• Inheritance & polymorphism implemented in C#
• Operator overloading
• Structures in C#, interfaces, arrays, & indexers
• Built-in .NET collections, strings, & regular expression support
• Structured exception handling
• Delegate & events
• Introduction 2 programming with Windows Forms
• ADO.NET database APIs (including basic XML support)
• Quick introduction 2 Web Forms & ASP.NET used with C#
• Introduction 2 Web services (SOAP, WSDL, & Discover services described)
• In-depth guide 2 .NET assemblies (including metadata, versioning, private & shared assemblies)
• C# support 4 attributes & reflection (including reflection emit techniques)
• Marshaling & remoting (with & without SOAP)
• Threads & synchronization
• Tutorial 2 C#/.NET streams (including basic I/O techniques, Web streams, & serialization)
• COM & .NET interoperability