Rating: 
Summary: Fun and highly Interactive
Review: This book is a great tool for beginners. If you do not have the resources to attend an instructor-led class, this is the next BEST thing. John Smiley has done an excelent job of capturing the classroom environment in this book. This book will not make you a pro at VB, but will certainly equip you with the necessary fundamentals, tools and techniques of programming with VB 6.0. The book goes through the entire development cycle of a project. It also comes with a CD that has a working model of Visual Basic, that you can install on your PC if you do not have Visual Basic already installed. Try it before you buy a full version.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A GREAT BOOK !
Review: All the 5 star reviews say it all about this book.
Confidence and interest is what matters in programming or
anything new that one is taking up and I think the classroom
approach used by John helps a complete novice in VB to develop
the required interest and confidence.
I can assure you that after going thru this book you will be
brimming with confidence and ready for the intermidiate and advanced stage.
Kudo's to John and hope he keeps up with the good work.
Can't wait to get John Smiley's other books.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for those wanting to learn Visual Basic!
Review: John Smiley has done an absolutely wonderful job with his LEARN TO PROGRAM WITH VISUAL BASIC 6. He assumes no prior knowledge or natural computer proficiency, and thus his explanations can be easily grasped by anyone who takes the time to read and understand them. He frequently gives examples of real-life questions by his students about practical problems and then gives a simple, direct answer. For those who are even somewhat intimidated by the idea of learning a computer language, be hesitant no more. LEARN TO PROGRAM WITH VISUAL BASIC 6 is so straightforward and effective of a teacher that you will be learning in no time at all. By the end of the book you will have learned about classes and some of the basic ideas behind object-oriented programming.I do have a caveat though for those who are more experienced with computer science. This book is not for you. If you already have a solid grasp of the ideas behind computer science or already know a more complicated language such as Visual C++, look elsewhere for a self-instruction course on Visual Basic. The reason that this book is so effective for beginners is the same reason it will be somewhat frustrating and seemingly ridiculous to experienced programmers. You will read ten pages and think to yourself that it could have been explained effectively in one. In summary, buy this book if you have no previous programming experience and are at all interested in learning a language. If you are a computer science major or someone who already knows some programming, look elsewhere for a more sophisticated treatment of Visual Basic.
Rating:
Summary: Learn to Program with Visual Basic 6
Review: I have been trying to teach myself programming with Visual Basic and have purchased several books. I came across this one and thought why not. Maybe this one will have that little bit of information that will tie it all together for me. This is a wonderful book. I find myself feeling as if I'm in the class room. So far, most of my questions are answered before I finish the chapter. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money or your time.
Review: I received the book and decided to send it back the same day. I know it says for absolute beginners but this is ridiculous. The book could have been cut down by a few hundred pages if the author would have cut out all the inane chatter. The classroom style of the book appealed to me until I read the first chapter. No class that I have been in was ever like that. It sounded like a VB6 class in Mayberry. That aside I think beginning programmers would be better served with a book that spent more time telling you about the features and how to's of VB6 instead of endless he said, she said, excellent point Billy, etc. Just get to the point and give the readers of the book a little credit. They may be absolute beginners but they are not 10 years old.
Rating:
Summary: JOHN SMILEY, YOU ARE THE BEST,
Review: YOU ARE THE BEST, JOHN SMILEY. THINK YOU AGAIN
Rating:
Summary: How much is your time worth?
Review: I went looking through a number of titles trying to find a quality presentation of Visual Basic. This absolutely rock bottom the worst computer book I have ever seen. It is positively moronic. If you had grade school pupils with a fear of learning, it might be justified, but the idea that a mature person would find anything of value here is scary. It is padded with so much useless banter between the instructor and the class that it is just plain boring.
Rating:
Summary: New to VB? This Book Is The Best!
Review: Everything that has been said in prior reviews of this book is true - this book is the best!
I'm now staring at approximately [amt]worth of VB books sitting on the shelf in front of me, collecting dust, all of which list a user level of "Beginning-Intermediate." They have been there for over a year. Yes folks, they're all there - VB in 24 Hours, 21 Days, In Record Time, Idiot's, Dummies etc. to name a few. I have learnt zilch from all of them.
Mr. Smiley has managed to successfully cover the most fundamental aspect that nearly all computer books on just about all subjects fail to take into consideration - "give me a little at a time."
"Beginning" means just that - "I know nothing." Many books start off with good intentions, but usually end up bombarding you from a very early stage with far too much (usually boring payroll) database development. This makes it difficult to grasp, as well as retarding any sense of achievement, progress or confidence.
Many people buying this type of book, whether it be for work or home, are not boffins and the information needs to be imparted in such a way so that it maintains interest without being puerile (maybe it's just me, but I find "dummies" books to be confusing!)
Learning programming, as Mr. Smiley is so obviously well aware, needs to be a simple, structured process, especially in the early stages...
Rating:
Summary: Smiley tells us "how" but just as important.....WHY!
Review: I probably read 15 different reviews of this book BEFORE I bought it, and I'm really glad I did. As many others have made very clear, this book is not your typical VB introductory level book. Smiley structures his book using a fictional college course in Visual Basic programming, each chapter representing a Saturday morning class with a structured lesson, complete with student questions, classroom breaks, and detailed examples and diagrams. As you read the book, you'll feel like you're sitting in the class each week. Smiley doesn't rush the material. To the contrary, he takes great care to explain with great detail all the concepts presented. There was one point where I actually wanted to raise my hand and ask about a crucial point that I thought had been overlooked...then about five pages later one of Smiley's fictional "students" raised my exact point, which was then addressed appropriately. Without a doubt, there is a lot of repetition, but that's a good thing here. Speaking for myself, I don't always get a complex point the first time around, but with each successive explanation and example, the concepts really seem to take hold, building a solid foundation of elementary Visual Basic programming. Smiley tells you how VB works, but just as important, he tells you what can go wrong if you do the wrong way, and gives you a good idea of WHY things work the way they do. That's a must for my personal learning style. I've already ordered more of Smiley's books, as I'm hooked on his teaching style. When I'm ready to tackle Microsoft's developer guides, I'm very confident I'll be well prepared to move on to the more advanced topics and eventually become Microsoft certified.
Rating:
Summary: Can't get by the style
Review: Beware!
This book is written as a dialog between an instructor and students. The entire book. It drives me crazy.
I will purchase another book that doesn't have this style.
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