Rating: 
Summary: finally, a book almost as good as a professor!
Review: I have been working as a network admin for the last 3 years and have recently discovered just how useful VB programming can be for administration. However, I have always been extremely turned off in learning VB because all the books out there seem to be written for people who are already fluent in ANSI C or C++. This has always left me feeling rather lost. However, this book is extremely easy to understand and makes understanding Visual Basic a snap. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, though falls short on topics that pros employ
Review: As the book says, learning to program Visual Basic 6 with this book is easy. The "in the classroom" method that Smiley employs teaches the reader a lot of aspects to VB programming. Though, as a C/C++ programmer, the book has a lot to be desired. I'll guaratee that it can teach any beginner how to program VB (I read this in one week). If you want to expand farther, you may need to buy more advanced books since it stops short from using advanced techniques like database access (ADO), combo boxes, pull down menus, paint commands, etc. Though overall, the book achieves what it promises and that's why I give it 5 stars. If you want more out of this book, you may have to look elsewhere, though none would be easier than this book.
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Summary: Excellent learning tool!
Review: I used this book to teach VB to my son and to review for my own use. It is simple to use, logical in design and very rewarding.
Rating: 
Summary: Clear, but protracted bare-bones Intro
Review: Ths book does a great job of covering all of the common problems a VB programmer might encounter, but devotes too much attention to overly tiny, potential problems that most people would 1) not have 2) could easily solve on their own. It was particularly frustrating to read paragraph after paragraph of scenarios of the "students" doing the wrong thing and getting corrected by their great Mr. Smiley "teacher." As someone with not much free time to devote to reading long computer books, I was irritated at this diversion of my time. Smiley has a great idea of the importance of examples, but, I believe, thought that his book might be more marketable with more pages. The result is a potpurri of cheap, plotless children's fiction intertwined with, admittedly clear, but far too sparse details about Visual Basic 6.The information that does come across, moreover, I felt was more of a reinforcement of basic programming theory rather than a VB 6 syntax introduction. The constant rhetoric about how a good programmer should psychologically approach the task of writing a program was both condescending and idiotic. Overall, the book, in the backdrop of distracting classroom of students, leaks through some information about programming theory using VB 6 with a decent intro to the interface. But only after far too much time.
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Summary: A Foundation for Understanding Windows Applications
Review: This book provides a foundation for beginners in not only understanding Visual Basic but also in understanding windows and associated applications. This book lays a thorough foundation for beginning programmers. It also should be helpful for those people who need to communicate with programmers and need to know some fundamental concepts in order to do so. I gained a good deal of insight on how computers function in general from this book. Also, anyone who wants to gain a more thorough understanding of windows type applications should read Learn to Program Objects with Visual Basic 6 by John Smiley. All of John Smiley's books are thorough and easy to follow.
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Summary: Perfect beginner's book for learning VB6
Review: John Smiley has written an extraordinary book that can teach ANYBODY to program using Visual Basic 6. He covers essential fundamentals, establishes solid programming skills, and explains complex topics extremely well. For all newcomers to the programming world, this IS the book to buy! I am definetely investing in the rest of John Smiley's wonderful books.
Rating: 
Summary: Learn to Program with Visual Basic 6
Review: I had a problem near the beginning of the book and I emailed John Smiley for help. I was amazed that he answered my problem by the next day! THANK JOHN SMILEY! The book was very good at explaining the codes!
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Summary: a must buy
Review: i wanted to learn visual basic without having to take classes. so when i sat down with this book, it felt like i was in a real classroom. the author doesnt make the assumption that you know something(which seems to be the problem of most programming books) and thus is able to really start from the basics. i was so impressed that i quickly ordered his other three books on the subject. i hope that john smiley(the author) will write other books on programming(like maybe java or c/c++)
Rating:
Summary: Book makes you want to learn
Review: This book assumes that the reader has no prior knowledge of VB and explains the basic concepts with great clarity. Commonly made errors are explained in a manner that gently reinforces the points sought to be made. All, without talking down to the reader. My minor adverse criticism is, that the index is not geared for use as a reference guide. But that may be nit picking a fine beginner's book.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent beginner's VB6 book
Review: Dr. Smiley's tome is anything but boring. His unique approach of virutally including the reader in a true-to-life computer class both keeps the interest and leads one through the steps to a deeper understanding of not only the "what" but the "why" of VB6 programming. Unlike many books that drown you with detailed information, which could more easily be optained from the on-line help file, Dr. Smiley's book gives you the information when you need it to solve real problems. Unlike other books that try to keep one's interest by cute chapter titles or jokes, Dr. Smiley's book actually injects some human interest (not quite a novel, but it does the job). I highly recommend the book as an introduction to VB6. When you've read it you can write a useful application, not just make the screen say "Hello World".
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