Rating: 
Summary: Excellent teacher, uses humor and stories to illistrate
Review: I have only had the book about 1 1/2 weeks but am already in the middle of it. It is great and the author assumes nothing. This book is for absolute beginners. It even has the basic computer hardware that all beginning computer classes have. I read another book on VB but it wasn't in-depth enough to get me to know programming. I understand this book much better than the other book. I especially like the fact that the author is following from start to finish an actual customer project.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best
Review: I can't think of any better book for someone to start off with, than this one. I agree with the above, the writing style would probably turn someone off who's just looking for quick answers and code snippets. I don't use or recommend this book as a desk reference (I've found Halvorson's book better for using as a quick reference for those basic functions you don't use often). But, if you are wanting to learn VB, I don't think there is anything better than this book. Besides the fact that it includes a learning edition of the program (so you don't have to buy VB6 to learn and practice VB), it takes things step by step and doesn't assume that you know anything at all about VB or programming in general. One thing I found particularly useful about Smiley's approach with this book, is that I found I could still read and learn without having to be in front of my computer the whole time. He provides enough screenshots and explanations so that you don't have to perform every step along with him to understand what's going on. It was nice to be able to take the book along to the doctor's office, or on the bus, and still to be able to read and learn! If you hate to read in general, then you probably won't like this book. If you read books for entertainment and not just information, then you'll LOVE this approach! This is about as far from a dry, "just the facts, ma'am" technical manual as it gets, and I for one would like to thank Professor Smiley from the bottom of my heart for doing it that way! Don't think the book is lacking in facts and technical info...it isn't, just that it's sandwiched into entertaining dialogue rather than being presented in a dry, linear fashion. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Book for Beginners
Review: This is the best book if you have no experience at all. I had pretty much no programming experience at all, and when i was done with the book i was writing programs with ease. You not only get all kinds of great examples of each but you actually write a complete program. It is in a classroom setup so almost all your questions were asked by the students and answered. I bought 2 books before this one and still had no clue how to us vb6. Can't stress enough how great this book is. Buy it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Effective teaching technique
Review: Mr. Smiley uses the approach of solving real-world programming problems to guide beginners through the world of Visual Basic operations. The book is beautifully written, and I found myself able to easily identify with some of the people mentioned. All in all a good buy if you're wanting to learn the basics (and some intermediate programming too).
Rating:
Summary: The best starting point for beginners
Review: Let's face it. Programming computers can be both difficult and frightening to someone who has never done it before. And with so many books on Visual Basic available today, who knows which book is going to help them get the right start? Well, let me assure anyone wanting to know where to start in their career as a Visual Basic programmer that John Smiley's series is the best. This book (like all in his series) is written in a much different format than the typical programming book. You feel like you're reading a novel, actually listening to the interaction between Professor Smiley and his students. His lectures are fresh, informative, and very well explained. In fact, the book is so much fun, you don't feel as if you're learning something difficult at all. Instead, you find yourself having fun as you program along with Professor Smiley and his class. Another thing that's very good about this book is that you build a real-world application, based on a request presented by a local business. In too many beginning programming books, readers are treated to tiny programs that don't really accomplish much (I wonder if I'm the only one tired of reading how to program 'Hello World'?). In this book, you as the student are guided through the process of building a real-world program similar to the types of programs you'll be asked to build for customers in actual programming situations. Finally, one of the most refreshing things about this book is the time that Mr. Smiley takes to explain the Software Development Life Cycle. Sure, most books out there will show you how to write some code and make it run. What they don't tell you is how to take a new client, understand their needs, talk with them about what they would like a program to do, get the appropriate feedback, analyze the problem and develop a solution, code and test the solution, and then present it to the client for approval. Let me tell you that in the real world, this is absolutely essential, and is a skill most books don't even cover. Mr. Smiley deals with it in great depth right and shows you how to do things right the first time. For critics of this book, there is no question that more advanced topics aren't covered by this text. But as this is a book for beginners, that shouldn't be expected. Remember, one can't learn the more advanced techniques (which he explains in his subsequent books on programming Objects and Databases) until the basic techniques are mastered. So, if you have an interest in learning about Visual Basic, and are thinking this might be a career for you, pick up this book. It's one of the best you'll find. Three cheers for John Smiley!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for people who learn the old fashion way
Review: If you are the type of person who loves a classroom learning environment this is the book for your collection. I am very happy with these books and have saved myself/company money because I did not have to sign up for a class. Way to go!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Beginners!....
Review: Some reviews prior to this will report that this book is too easy or boring. The book cover reports ABSOLUTE BEGINNER. It serves as a perfect resource for somebody who has never touched VB before. I was the perfect example of the absolute beginner and went through 3 other "beginner VB" books before a friend showed me this book. It is by far the best! I highly recommend this book to the ABSOLUTE beginner.
Rating:
Summary: Good starter book
Review: If you are the type that does better in a classroom setting this book is for you. I got through it in a couple of weeks and found it had a really good introductory project. It was a good foundation for other programs that I have written. It also allowed me to follow more advanced projects that I was asked to review.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Reading
Review: For a person new to programming, this book has been easy to understand and very enjoyable to read. This is a great tool to get started on the right track for VB programming.
Rating:
Summary: A remedy for all the bad computer books out there...
Review: It's refreshing to read an author who takes a down to earth approach to teaching his subject. The reason this book gets so many good reviews is that it stands almost alone as a high quality entry in a field populated by authors who have no gift for teaching or writing. The general quality of computer language tutorials is appalling, but Smiley really has a gift for getting his message across. There is a case to be made that he should be teaching computer professionals how to teach, not teaching VB.
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