Fast Track C#

Rating:
Summary: Wrox Press Fast Track Series Does It Again!
Review: I've long been of the opinion that Wrox Press makes the best developer-oriented books, bar none. Yes, there have been a few missteps in the past, but nobody is perfect. The Fast Track series, however, has thus far failed to disappoint me.

This is the second Fast Track I have purchased. I started using .Net when the first public beta came out, and now I am a complete convert to C#. Not to play into the old "this language is better than that one" argument, but I have found C# to be clean, powerful, and elegant. They used to say that "Inside C++ is a nice clean language ready to come out, and that language is Java." I say that language is C#.

This book gets right to it. If you are already familiar with (n.b. you don't have to be an expert, just familiar with) a true OO language such as C++ or Java, then C# will be a snap for you to learn. This book gets you there, covering the topics that all experienced developers need to go from one language to the next. We're talking the bare-bones necessities here: syntax, basic classes, and usage for .NET, WebServices, and Windows Apps. No, this is not an exhaustive reference for the language. If you want that, check out the excellent: Professional C#, also by Wrox. This book is to get you up and running quickly in a new language, and give you the tools you need to build a core knowledgebase of C#. We all know that once you have the basics, it is much easier to search the web, or MSDN, or a giant reference book, for more advanced topics. But it is often hard to find one good source for the "getting started" stages of a new language. How do I do in C#: A FOR loop? Arrays? Inherit a class? Use XML? These and more are all answered in a way that will get you productive quickly, and leaving you to your own devices to grow beyond that.

If you are going to get into C# for the first time, get this book.

Rating:
Summary: Wrox Press Fast Track Series Does It Again!
Review: I've long been of the opinion that Wrox Press makes the best developer-oriented books, bar none. Yes, there have been a few missteps in the past, but nobody is perfect. The Fast Track series, however, has thus far failed to disappoint me.

This is the second Fast Track I have purchased. I started using .Net when the first public beta came out, and now I am a complete convert to C#. Not to play into the old "this language is better than that one" argument, but I have found C# to be clean, powerful, and elegant. They used to say that "Inside C++ is a nice clean language ready to come out, and that language is Java." I say that language is C#.

This book gets right to it. If you are already familiar with (n.b. you don't have to be an expert, just familiar with) a true OO language such as C++ or Java, then C# will be a snap for you to learn. This book gets you there, covering the topics that all experienced developers need to go from one language to the next. We're talking the bare-bones necessities here: syntax, basic classes, and usage for .NET, WebServices, and Windows Apps. No, this is not an exhaustive reference for the language. If you want that, check out the excellent: Professional C#, also by Wrox. This book is to get you up and running quickly in a new language, and give you the tools you need to build a core knowledgebase of C#. We all know that once you have the basics, it is much easier to search the web, or MSDN, or a giant reference book, for more advanced topics. But it is often hard to find one good source for the "getting started" stages of a new language. How do I do in C#: A FOR loop? Arrays? Inherit a class? Use XML? These and more are all answered in a way that will get you productive quickly, and leaving you to your own devices to grow beyond that.

If you are going to get into C# for the first time, get this book.

Rating:
Summary: Get up to speed with C# in a hurry
Review: If you need to learn C# in a hurry, this is the book that will get you up to speed. The entire "Fast Track" series from Wrox were written to help you learn a subject fast and this is especially helpful if your employer decides to convert to C# or any other .Net technology or language. I purchased both Fast Track C# and Fast Track ASP.NET C# Edition together. I am impressed with both books. The Fast Track C# book is 413 pages and the chapters are not to long. This makes the reading very easy and the chapters don't take weeks to read. The book starts out with the basics of .NET and C# and then progresses to more advanced C# subjects. Note: The authors do not go into great detail on the various subjects and you should augment this book with a more advanced books on C#. There are ample examples but the authors do not provide the "results". This is a book for the intermediate developer making the conversion from Java or C++ but I think Visual Basic 6 developers will benefit from this book.

In Chapter 1 - Overview of .Net and the CLR (Common Language Runtime), the authors explain the fundamentals of .Net.

Chapter 2 - Introduction to C#, Chapter 3 - C# Basics, and Chapter 4 - Object-Oriented Features of C# provide the basics that you will need to know about C#. If you are coming from Visual Basic.Net, you might want to skip over these chapters but I read these chapters twice.

The authors explain the more advanced features of C# in Chapters 5 - Advanced C#, 6 - .NET Programming with C#, and 7 - Working with the .Net Base Class. These chapters will help you get beyond the "Hello World" type of applications. These chapters provide some real-world examples.

In Chapter 8 - Building Windows Applications, the authors explain all of the basics to windows development. The GUI or the presentation layer is what the end-user will be most familar with.

The next chapters will help you with real-world applications that you may encounter.

Chapter 9 - Assemblies and ILDASM.
Chapter 10 - Data Access with ADO.Net
Chapter 11 - COM and COM+ Interoperability
Chapter 12 - ASP.Net
Chapter 13 - Web Services

Rating:
Summary: Get up to speed with C# in a hurry
Review: If you need to learn C# in a hurry, this is the book that will get you up to speed. The entire "Fast Track" series from Wrox were written to help you learn a subject fast and this is especially helpful if your employer decides to convert to C# or any other .Net technology or language. I purchased both Fast Track C# and Fast Track ASP.NET C# Edition together. I am impressed with both books. The Fast Track C# book is 413 pages and the chapters are not to long. This makes the reading very easy and the chapters don't take weeks to read. The book starts out with the basics of .NET and C# and then progresses to more advanced C# subjects. Note: The authors do not go into great detail on the various subjects and you should augment this book with a more advanced books on C#. There are ample examples but the authors do not provide the "results". This is a book for the intermediate developer making the conversion from Java or C++ but I think Visual Basic 6 developers will benefit from this book.

In Chapter 1 - Overview of .Net and the CLR (Common Language Runtime), the authors explain the fundamentals of .Net.

Chapter 2 - Introduction to C#, Chapter 3 - C# Basics, and Chapter 4 - Object-Oriented Features of C# provide the basics that you will need to know about C#. If you are coming from Visual Basic.Net, you might want to skip over these chapters but I read these chapters twice.

The authors explain the more advanced features of C# in Chapters 5 - Advanced C#, 6 - .NET Programming with C#, and 7 - Working with the .Net Base Class. These chapters will help you get beyond the "Hello World" type of applications. These chapters provide some real-world examples.

In Chapter 8 - Building Windows Applications, the authors explain all of the basics to windows development. The GUI or the presentation layer is what the end-user will be most familar with.

The next chapters will help you with real-world applications that you may encounter.

Chapter 9 - Assemblies and ILDASM.
Chapter 10 - Data Access with ADO.Net
Chapter 11 - COM and COM+ Interoperability
Chapter 12 - ASP.Net
Chapter 13 - Web Services

Rating:
Summary: Get up to speed with C# in a hurry
Review: If you need to learn C# in a hurry, this is the book that will get you up to speed. The entire "Fast Track" series from Wrox were written to help you learn a subject fast and this is especially helpful if your employer decides to convert to C# or any other .Net technology or language. I purchased both Fast Track C# and Fast Track ASP.NET C# Edition together. I am impressed with both books. The Fast Track C# book is 413 pages and the chapters are not to long. This makes the reading very easy and the chapters don't take weeks to read. The book starts out with the basics of .NET and C# and then progresses to more advanced C# subjects. Note: The authors do not go into great detail on the various subjects and you should augment this book with a more advanced books on C#. There are ample examples but the authors do not provide the "results". This is a book for the intermediate developer making the conversion from Java or C++ but I think Visual Basic 6 developers will benefit from this book.

In Chapter 1 - Overview of .Net and the CLR (Common Language Runtime), the authors explain the fundamentals of .Net.

Chapter 2 - Introduction to C#, Chapter 3 - C# Basics, and Chapter 4 - Object-Oriented Features of C# provide the basics that you will need to know about C#. If you are coming from Visual Basic.Net, you might want to skip over these chapters but I read these chapters twice.

The authors explain the more advanced features of C# in Chapters 5 - Advanced C#, 6 - .NET Programming with C#, and 7 - Working with the .Net Base Class. These chapters will help you get beyond the "Hello World" type of applications. These chapters provide some real-world examples.

In Chapter 8 - Building Windows Applications, the authors explain all of the basics to windows development. The GUI or the presentation layer is what the end-user will be most familar with.

The next chapters will help you with real-world applications that you may encounter.

Chapter 9 - Assemblies and ILDASM.
Chapter 10 - Data Access with ADO.Net
Chapter 11 - COM and COM+ Interoperability
Chapter 12 - ASP.Net
Chapter 13 - Web Services

Rating:
Summary: Excellent source for quick C#
Review: This is an excellent book for C#. It covers almost every topic in C# in a consie, to-the-point fashion. Whether you are new or experienced programmer, this book will give you a head-start on mastering C# concepts. If you are doing MCAD, this is the book you should read first for brushing your concepts. I like the portability of this book (400 pages). Big thumps up for Wrox Fast Track series.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is one of the best books about C# you can find right now. I was a technical reviewer on this book, and I'm providing a few details here to help you decide if this book is right for you.

This book is primarily aimed at experienced C++ or Java programmers. If you are accustomed with the C-style syntax and have the basic object-oriented programming concepts, you'll feel on familiar ground when reading this book. For existing Visual Basic programmers I recommend "Visual C#: A Tutorial for VB developers" and/or "Professional C#, 2nd edition" for the advanced developers.

If you have the required background, this is the best book you can find to learn how to program in C# for the .NET framework, the "fast-track" style. I personally love so much this style - it is concise, but by no means superficial; all the basics are there, and because it assumes some previous experience, it can cover even advanced areas in a small number of pages (you'll be impressed how many advanced topics can be covered in a think book like this, while being so easy to read). In every chapter, after presenting the basics of the topic at hand, the focus moves to the practical side and you'll find suggestive examples that demonstrate how to apply what you have just learned.

After reading a chapter (usually 20-25 pages) you'll end up having good and solid knowledge that you'll be able to apply in your programs right away. And I don't think I exaggerate if I say that after reading the whole book (400 pages) and playing with the examples presented, you'll get to master many aspects of programming with C#. Apart from the basics of the C# language and programming for the .NET framework, you'll find chapters about COM and COM+, ADO.NET, ASP.NET, Web Services, building and deploying Windows Applications and more.

I am very enthusiast about this book, I highly and sincerely recommend it; make sure you have the necessary background (C++ or Java, OOP), then press on the "Buy it" button :) Cheers.