Rating: 
Summary: Great Book (Correcting misinformation)
Review: A reviewer stated that in chapter 2 there are Visual Studio .NET commands that are not found in the Visual Studio.NET Standard addition. Hmmmm this confuses me... the only commands used in chapter 2 are standard .NET Framework commands and have nothing to do about Visual Studio.NET. Maybe the reviewer should contact the author and ask for help before posting misinformation. Though, it is true that a few of the features covered in the book are Enterprise specific, creating SQL 2000 database within the studio comes to mind (but there are free downloadable workaround to this.) All in all, a great book about Managed C++!
Rating:
Summary: Top notch
Review: Extremely helpful resource. I recommend it highly for both novice and more experienced developers.
Rating:
Summary: the best
Review: I must say this is the best book i've red, i mean the book i've had most fun with. I red this large book in short period of time, and you know what that means!
This is not the book you will get bored with. It's rare to find the book which is both fun and advanced. i think this one is precisely it. I'm so glad to find out how to write asp.net page with (managed) c++, it's a great felling! the way the chapter about managed c++ in asp.net is explained is beyond the good,hence excellent. it's so easy plus you have fun with it and before you know, you can program web pages with c++. I was also amazed with chapter on web-services. i red few times about this new technology but first now after i red Stephens Managed C++ i understand completely what the web services are and how to write them. And in both asp.net and web-service chapter you get simple sampels which is extremely importent to get someone understand what you talking about but beyond that there are also advanced sampels with ADO.NET and Web-forms. Beautifull!!
To begin with, the book explains shortly .NET and than explains what Managed C++ is (it's c++ adapted to .NET , and there are some minor differences in syntax with the original c++)
Than the book compare how Managed c++ language looks like in .NET, so you get all details and what you need to corectly write c++ programms i .NET. The rest of the book is about Windwows Forms, Advanced Windows Foram, GDI+(drawing) and so on.. What a author!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book (Correcting misinformation)
Review: I thought the the first chapter on the overview of the .NET frame work was very good. When I got to the 2nd chapter on managed C++ basics, the book refered to using a command prompt window provided by Visual Studio.NET for compiling programs. I could not find any reference in how to display that window using the Visual C++.net Standard edition. So if you dont want to shell out the money for Visual Studio.NET, then do not buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Do not recommend if your using Visual C++.net Standard
Review: I thought the the first chapter on the overview of the .NET frame work was very good. When I got to the 2nd chapter on managed C++ basics, the book refered to using a command prompt window provided by Visual Studio.NET for compiling programs. I could not find any reference in how to display that window using the Visual C++.net Standard edition. So if you dont want to shell out the money for Visual Studio.NET, then do not buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Gets the job done
Review: Most .NET programming books focus on C# or VB.NET, and that's pretty much it. This makes Stephen's choice of Managed C++ as a general-purpose .NET programming language unusual and refreshing. As the examples in the book demonstrate, Managed C++ is in no way inferior to other, more "traditional" .NET languages. Plus, you will learn to do things that are simply not available in any other language...Stephen covers a lot of material in his book. No doubt, he has valuable experience in he field and he is successful at sharing it. - From the Foreward by Artur Laksberg, Managed C++ Compiler Development Team, Microsoft Corporation
Rating: 
Summary: very good as the first contact with managed C++
Review: That's good as the first contact with managed C++.
Unfortunately there wasn't as much interest toward C++ compared with C# or VB, so there isn't much literature to choose from on the market.
But for beginners and intermediates it's probably the best C++ book available right now.
You have a well structured book and good examples presented in a clear language.
However the author only skims across ASP, ADO and web services.
The interoperability with COM, unmanaged code, or P/Invoke it's missing completely, and that's the main strenght of C++.
I highly recommend this book for starters, and then following with Richard Grimes' "Programming with Managed Extensions for Microsoft Visual C++ .NET".
The latter really goes to the hard topics of managed C++ and fills the voids in Stephen's book.
That could make you an expert.
All the other managed C++ books available as 06/2003 are pretty much paper junk or lame rehersals of old unmanaged C++ books...
Rating: 
Summary: A book for Microsoft Visual C++ programmers
Review: This book is written for the Microsoft Visual C++ programmer who wants to learn .NET. The book has a good structure. The first six chapters introduce enough .NET technology to allow working on small .NET projects. The subsequent chapters can be read in almost any order and offer additional information for the reader to perfect her/his skills. - The book is not written for JAVA developers. They might find the first couple of pages so insulting that they feel tempted to shred this book. - Personally, I have a much more neutral viewpoint than the author and hope that the next edition of his book contains less of this "political gibberish". After all, it's just Microsoft .NET.
Rating:
Summary: the best
Review: This is possibly one of the best books I have ever read. The depth is good and it covers a lot of really handy stuff.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: This is possibly one of the best books I have ever read. The depth is good and it covers a lot of really handy stuff.
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