Rating: 
Summary: Great Book and Great Reference
Review: This is a fantastic book for those C++ developers who want to learn to program Windows applications. It gives a great overview of a vast majority of the topics contained in Windows programming. It was not however, a book to take C programmers to C++, nor is it a detailed book on MFC. It is also not a cookbook. It does however recommend many other books for more advanced development topics.Any professional developer knows that they must arm themselves with a complete library of books. This book happens to one that is highly recommended by many recognized leaders in Windows Software development. One should also look into the Wrox professional series.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book and Great Reference
Review: This is a fantastic book for those C++ developers who want to learn to program Windows applications. It gives a great overview of a vast majority of the topics contained in Windows programming. It was not however, a book to take C programmers to C++, nor is it a detailed book on MFC. It is also not a cookbook. It does however recommend many other books for more advanced development topics. Any professional developer knows that they must arm themselves with a complete library of books. This book happens to one that is highly recommended by many recognized leaders in Windows Software development. One should also look into the Wrox professional series.
Rating: 
Summary: Good to learn how to code in MFC, but NO Architecture
Review: This is a good book to learn how to code in MFC. The biggest drawback of this book is that it does not mention the MFC application architecture in the begining at all. So the reader is immediately starts coding whithout knowing what the MFc is actually doing for him. I have very strong experience in developing windows applications under the Win32 SDK and I believe that this book should have discussed the MFC message maping and application architecture before writing any code (at least). Overall, i think the book is okay. Personnely, I like "Professional MFC With Visual C++ 6
by Mike Blaszczak" better.
Rating:
Summary: A Complete Book
Review: To be fair, on a few occasions this book does a good job. But, in general, it is a BAD BOOK. A number of Software Engineers at our facility have been making the jump to C++/MFC from a C-only background, and 85% of them think this book stinks. I've started to read "Programming Windows with MFC", by Jeff Prosise, as I've heard it is a better book - and on first inspection, that seems true. I admit, Visual C++/MFC is a complex topic... but this CAN'T be the way to teach it! Think about it - why would Microsoft themselves allow so many other similar books on this subject to be printed, if this book was so good? Part of the problem might be due to the fact that the original author died in a hang-glider accident before the last edition was published; and the two new guys who were handed his work just patched it together the best they could to meet a publishing deadline... but this can't explain it all... with this book, there is a consistent lack of coherent approach to teaching the subject... it is simply a hodgepodge of different topics, each with an example - but with no overall coherence.... I've got to think that the people who are giving it good reviews either a) Work for Microsoft, or b) don't REALLY program real applications ...I suppose what more can we expect given the current situation with one company having a virtual monopoly on the C++/Windows application development industry(the WHOLE computer industry, for that matter) - we HAVE to take their garbage... we have no other choice. Boy - I long for the days when Microsoft DID produce decent books on how to program their systems... the Petzold books were FANTASTIC... nothing like this cacaphony. Too bad Java hasn't really caught on... at least the Deitel books were good in that arena. I see where the Deitels are producing a C# Visual Studio.NET book(currently held for publishing pending Microsoft's release of .NET). The Deitel books are EXCELLENT... if you're considering learning this subject at this juncture, I'd wait for the Deitel book, if at all possible, as it will include this subject matter, but synced-up with Microsoft's latest development environment. BTW, many professors SWEAR by the Deitel books - they are simply excellent, nothing like this rubbish.
Rating: 
Summary: Below Par - in fact, its a double-bogey
Review: To be fair, on a few occasions this book does a good job. But, in general, it is a BAD BOOK. A number of Software Engineers at our facility have been making the jump to C++/MFC from a C-only background, and 85% of them think this book stinks. I've started to read "Programming Windows with MFC", by Jeff Prosise, as I've heard it is a better book - and on first inspection, that seems true. I admit, Visual C++/MFC is a complex topic... but this CAN'T be the way to teach it! Think about it - why would Microsoft themselves allow so many other similar books on this subject to be printed, if this book was so good? Part of the problem might be due to the fact that the original author died in a hang-glider accident before the last edition was published; and the two new guys who were handed his work just patched it together the best they could to meet a publishing deadline... but this can't explain it all... with this book, there is a consistent lack of coherent approach to teaching the subject... it is simply a hodgepodge of different topics, each with an example - but with no overall coherence.... I've got to think that the people who are giving it good reviews either a) Work for Microsoft, or b) don't REALLY program real applications ...I suppose what more can we expect given the current situation with one company having a virtual monopoly on the C++/Windows application development industry(the WHOLE computer industry, for that matter) - we HAVE to take their garbage... we have no other choice. Boy - I long for the days when Microsoft DID produce decent books on how to program their systems... the Petzold books were FANTASTIC... nothing like this cacaphony. Too bad Java hasn't really caught on... at least the Deitel books were good in that arena. I see where the Deitels are producing a C# Visual Studio.NET book(currently held for publishing pending Microsoft's release of .NET). The Deitel books are EXCELLENT... if you're considering learning this subject at this juncture, I'd wait for the Deitel book, if at all possible, as it will include this subject matter, but synced-up with Microsoft's latest development environment. BTW, many professors SWEAR by the Deitel books - they are simply excellent, nothing like this rubbish.
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