Rating: 
Summary: Horrible
Review: I purchased this book because I learn best by following examples based on real, useful projects. I have completed project 1 and thus far have these observations:1) Though "validating data" is stressed, the example code does a very poor job of doing so. 2) The authors seem to forget what they need in their example forms. For example, the CustomerForm in project 1 is supposed to be able to add and edit records contained in a customer table. However, they authors forgot to create a way to add the record! 3) Some of the information is presented out of sequence and thus causes a great deal of confusion. For example, chapter 9 is on Validations and Exception Handling. It looks like this information was once part of chapter 10 and the authors decided that they should discuss validation first. However, it appears that they forgot to rewrite the material so that it would make sense in its new context! I found myself flipping back and forth between the two capters in order to finish the project. 4) Even with these problems, the book would still be useful if an online errata existed. However, I have not been able to locate one on the Website provided. 5) Project 1 presents an inconsistent interface. Each of the forms in the project has a similar purpose but entirely different interfaces and controls. I believe the authors did this in order to show the reader that there are different ways to use .NET Studio to do the job, but I do not recall that this was actually mentioned in the text. All I can say is do not use the projects in this book as models for good interface design. I have been a programmer for almost three decades and I am already knowledgeable in Java, C++ and Visual Basic, so I am still able to use this book as a tutorial to learn the features of C# and the .NET programming interface. Since this book was still useful in that respect, I have given it 2 Stars instead of 1. However, if you are new to object oriented programming or new to programming in general, please give this book a skip.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite Rough
Review: I purchased this book because I learn best by following examples based on real, useful projects. I have completed project 1 and thus far have these observations: 1) Though "validating data" is stressed, the example code does a very poor job of doing so. 2) The authors seem to forget what they need in their example forms. For example, the CustomerForm in project 1 is supposed to be able to add and edit records contained in a customer table. However, they authors forgot to create a way to add the record! 3) Some of the information is presented out of sequence and thus causes a great deal of confusion. For example, chapter 9 is on Validations and Exception Handling. It looks like this information was once part of chapter 10 and the authors decided that they should discuss validation first. However, it appears that they forgot to rewrite the material so that it would make sense in its new context! I found myself flipping back and forth between the two capters in order to finish the project. 4) Even with these problems, the book would still be useful if an online errata existed. However, I have not been able to locate one on the Website provided. 5) Project 1 presents an inconsistent interface. Each of the forms in the project has a similar purpose but entirely different interfaces and controls. I believe the authors did this in order to show the reader that there are different ways to use .NET Studio to do the job, but I do not recall that this was actually mentioned in the text. All I can say is do not use the projects in this book as models for good interface design. I have been a programmer for almost three decades and I am already knowledgeable in Java, C++ and Visual Basic, so I am still able to use this book as a tutorial to learn the features of C# and the .NET programming interface. Since this book was still useful in that respect, I have given it 2 Stars instead of 1. However, if you are new to object oriented programming or new to programming in general, please give this book a skip.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Rough
Review: I purchased this book because I learn best by following examples based on real, useful projects. I have completed project 1 and thus far have these observations: 1) Though "validating data" is stressed, the example code does a very poor job of doing so. 2) The authors seem to forget what they need in their example forms. For example, the CustomerForm in project 1 is supposed to be able to add and edit records contained in a customer table. However, they authors forgot to create a way to add the record! 3) Some of the information is presented out of sequence and thus causes a great deal of confusion. For example, chapter 9 is on Validations and Exception Handling. It looks like this information was once part of chapter 10 and the authors decided that they should discuss validation first. However, it appears that they forgot to rewrite the material so that it would make sense in its new context! I found myself flipping back and forth between the two capters in order to finish the project. 4) Even with these problems, the book would still be useful if an online errata existed. However, I have not been able to locate one on the Website provided. 5) Project 1 presents an inconsistent interface. Each of the forms in the project has a similar purpose but entirely different interfaces and controls. I believe the authors did this in order to show the reader that there are different ways to use .NET Studio to do the job, but I do not recall that this was actually mentioned in the text. All I can say is do not use the projects in this book as models for good interface design. I have been a programmer for almost three decades and I am already knowledgeable in Java, C++ and Visual Basic, so I am still able to use this book as a tutorial to learn the features of C# and the .NET programming interface. Since this book was still useful in that respect, I have given it 2 Stars instead of 1. However, if you are new to object oriented programming or new to programming in general, please give this book a skip.
Rating:
Summary: Pass this one by....
Review: I should have read the reviews.... This book could be 1/3 the size it is- The authors fill it with page upon page of source code listings, property-list tables and great, big pictures. I've seen better written Microsoft manuals.
Rating:
Summary: Microsoft C# Professional Pants... more like!
Review: Sorry, but even after reading several reviews here that say the same thing, i still have to voice an opinion! This book is awful! Not only does it tell you at the end of Chapter 8 that the next form in the first project will be dealt with in the next chapter, it continues in Chapter 9 to tell you how to validate code in the form you haven't even created... then goes on to chapter 10, waiting until near the end to tell you how to create the form!
There are several typos and much mssing code as said before...
The diagrams of the non-standard windows include properties set that are not listed in the creation steps... and the list goes on...
However... there is some light at the end of the tunnel... one of the most annoying problems with learning a new language is learning how to cope with errors... and this book gives you that instruction from page 1... Albeit I'm sure not intentionally!
Going through the steps of designing a project, if you have never worked on the lifecycle of a professional project, is something this book does touch upon, and in that regard does a good job. But all of this and more can be gleaned from any other books. Wrox's Beginning C# and Professional C# series' are far superior, and similarly priced, if not cheaper... I solidly recommend avoiding this book, unless you have money to burn.
Rating:
Summary: Not Professional Grade
Review: That's great that the other reviewer got a lot out of this book, but unfortunately I didn't. The projects are not anything near professional grade in my opinion. For example, in the first project the code in the UI makes lots of calls to the database directly. From the title, I felt that a real-world distributed application using a data access layer and maybe even a web services layer would have been more appropriate. Also, the user interface design throughout the projects is non-standard and quite hokey in my opinion. I'm usually not that critical about the application architecture and UI design in the case studies presented in a book, but when the title is "Professional Projects" I believe the bar should be raised a lot higher. I would recommend the IBuySpy Developer Solution Kits that are free from Microsoft over this book. ...
Rating:
Summary: This book is terrible
Review: The chapters are poorly written and do not follow a clear order. Often crucial parts of the code are missing making it very difficult to figure out why your program won't compile. Even the full source codes downloaded from the internet won't compile. Way to go! Only buy this book if you enjoy wasting money. I know I don't!
Rating:
Summary: This book is terrible
Review: The chapters are poorly written and do not follow a clear order. Often crucial parts of the code are missing making it very difficult to figure out why your program won't compile. Even the full source codes downloaded from the internet won't compile. Way to go! Only buy this book if you enjoy wasting money. I know I don't!
Rating: 
Summary: Missing Steps
Review: The topics covered by this book looks very appealing. As you go through to the steps, there are a lot of missing code. Like for example in page 354, the "Directory".Exists" will generate an error, unless you declare the system IO. If you have the time to figure out what are the missing code and you have a good background in Java, its manageable otherwise its a waste of time and money.
Rating:
Summary: Missing Codes and Inconsistent steps
Review: There are lots of missing codes compounded with the absence of an errata or support. Unlike other publishers (for example, WROX), the authors/publishers do not give you any support.I followed the steps religiously, and in almost every occassion, the programs will spit out lots of error messages. Although not recommended by the authors, you need a strong handle in Java and or C in order to use this book. The architechtual and UI design concepts need improvement. For someone who is well versed with N-Tier apps, I just find these projects lacking.
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