Rating: 
Summary: I've read a lot of VB books, but this one is the best so far
Review: Programming With Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 by Diane Zak is probably one of the best beginner programming books I have come across. It is easy to read and follow, which for beginners is an important feature to take into consideration. A nice extension to the book is that the sample code for the tutorials are available via download from their web site so if you seem to get stuck in an area more than likely they have some form or another of that code working so you can at least see what it is supposed to do. The only group I would not recommend this book to is intermediate/advanced VB programmers because the book does move a little slower than others, and it can become repetitious by time you get to the 3rd lesson of a tutorial. After nearly completing this book I can see why my University would select this book.
Rating:
Summary: Too Good To Be True... All New VB Programmers Must Own This
Review: Right from the start, I'd like to say that this book is for absolute beginners. If you've already written a VB program or two, or if you've learned BASIC (any of its incarnations) before, then this book is NOT for you. You'd find this book too slow or repetitive. BUT if you've never written a single line of code and plan to learn VB all by yourself, then, boy, you're in for a treat. Yes, you will learn a good deal of VB with this book.This book is absolutely superb for anyone who's just starting out on VB programming. The problems that plague most (if not all) VB beginner books, such as having truckloads of typos, confused and confusing writing, illogical topic sequences, jumping too deep too quickly etc etc are completely absent from this text. It's one of those rare text beginners can only dream about - it's truly step-by-step in every sense of the word. It tells you, without any ambiguity, how to write programs correctly right from the start. It imbues in you the necessary and good habits of writing programs. I find this book a far superior beginner text compared with John Smiley's "Learn to Program VB6". You get to learn a lot more programming syntax and techniques from Diane, and you don't waste time reading John Smiley's unnecessary and nonsensical fiction. The exercises included with Smiley's book are just recaps of the chapter. But with Diane's book, you get to work on some programming problems (and you get a lot of them) at the back of each chapter. It's obvious which is the better approach. This book is so good, you just got to have it. I defy anyone working conscientiously through this book's numerous exercises come away confused about ANY topic that the book covered. Diane's been extremely painstaking and thoughtful about every area she covered. She looked at potential programming pitfalls from the beginner's point of view. Knowing that new programmers tend to forget information, she took pain to reinforce concepts, sometimes through repetition, sometimes through exercises. You'd never, ever feel lost in her company. Because it's such a hands-on book, you can't read this book on your bed. You have to read it with the PC on and the VB booted up. This is truly a masterful and unique piece of work. I've read a large quantity of vb literature. The way I see it, as far as book authoring for new vb programmers is concerned, Diane has no peer.
Rating:
Summary: A great place to start learning VB
Review: Sure the book doesn't appeal to some, but that is always true. Diane Zak knows her topic and it shows throughout the book. Yes it does repeat quite a bit, but isn't that exactly how we learn, by repeatedly doing a task. If you want to learn VB6, this is a very good place to start. The book is used as a text in my district's community college, that is why I chose it in the first place. I have not been disappointed. I have been programming in other languages for years and I am generally self-taught. This book allows me to continue in that direction. But, hey, if you get a chance recommend it to your community college, I would!!
Rating:
Summary: A great place to start learning VB
Review: Sure the book doesn't appeal to some, but that is always true. Diane Zak knows her topic and it shows throughout the book. Yes it does repeat quite a bit, but isn't that exactly how we learn, by repeatedly doing a task. If you want to learn VB6, this is a very good place to start. The book is used as a text in my district's community college, that is why I chose it in the first place. I have not been disappointed. I have been programming in other languages for years and I am generally self-taught. This book allows me to continue in that direction. But, hey, if you get a chance recommend it to your community college, I would!!
Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand, well written, and carefully editted
Review: The book is easy to follow and easy to understand. I appreciate the way the author applies real life scenarios to the learning process. She puts you in the position of an employee doing various assignments for her/his employer. It has been effective for me, and it makes Visual Basic seem easy.
Rating:
Summary: Best textbook for VB6 ever!
Review: The entire national chain of training schools COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER used this book as their introductory text for Visual Basic 6. The students learned with ease and developed indepth understanding of the different topics. The debugging exercises were particularly useful! It the text book of choice when I teach!
Rating:
Summary: Best textbook for VB6 ever!
Review: The entire national chain of training schools COMPUTER LEARNING CENTER used this book as their introductory text for Visual Basic 6. The students learned with ease and developed indepth understanding of the different topics. The debugging exercises were particularly useful! It the text book of choice when I teach!
Rating: 
Summary: If you're a beginner you will learn VB, but too verbose
Review: This book definitely covers every detail a competent Windows user needs to learn Visual Basic basics. However, it is very repetitive. It's like listening do stand up comedy and then explain the jokes. But, you will easily learn the fundamentals going through the detailed samples. The book explains everything you do 2 times, in a slightly different manner. Keep in mind, this is only a beginner's book. If you have experience in any other Microsoft visual language you will probably do better to find a more advanced book.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst book ever written on the subject of Visual Basic!
Review: This book is the worst book ever written on the subject of Visual Basic. It is very verbose and confusing to the students. A better choice would be,Visual Basic6, by Shelly & Cashman.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Excellent
Review: This Book on VB is the best beginners book in its class. Well written and well defined examples for the layman. Good job Dian Zak!! keep up the good work!!
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