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Rating: 
Summary: A terrible book
Review: I bought this book for having an advanced MFC reference since I had already a good experience in MFC programming (since VC 4.0). I found this book hard as a reference, it hasn't answered most of the daily questions I have had in everyday MFC programming i.e. lacks the detailed explanation of how the MFC framework works not to tell some deeper concepts I expected it to decently explain like MFC sockets and multi-thread programming. The author shows to have read and reproduced faithfully the MSDN online *free* help instead of teaching and sharing with the readers his knowledge and experience. I do not recommend this book, after all the online MSDN is free.
Rating: 
Summary: So close yet so far
Review: I couldn't wait to get this book because it covered quite a bit.
The selling points for me were the chapters on Multimedia (including OpenGL, and DirectX) with MFC, and Scripting an MFC Application. The OpenGL chapter was effective because it worked and I saw all the steps. I never tried the DirectX because reading it seemed like it took for ever to get down to the point. To me, good programming books take a code first, explain later approach (as long as they remember to explain) or an explain as you code approach, but never explain everything then code. As it turns out, this book touches on quite a bit of key topics in MFC programming. However, some times it doesnt take you to the point of having practical knowledge. For example, the section on building an ActiveX control with MFC never explains how to implement the events your control will fire -- a point that I was most interested in. Perhaps the gravest shortcoming was the sections on Active Documents. Another key feature of MFC programming (very interesting) that didn't get proper treatment. Maybe it's just me, but even though it gave a brief explaination of the many different parts that go into Active Documents, it didn't put it all together in an eye opening way. To it's credit, the book does provide an example of building an Active Document server, and it reveals something very important -- there is little difference from the programmers perspective in handling applications with and without active document support. The only problem I have with the example is that it doesn't point out where a whole bunch of the pieces it just talked about (i.e., COleDocIPFrameWnd, COleServerItem, etc.) fit in, nor how we should use them. This book has potential, but it wastes a bunch of space by having definitions of documented functions, and MFC source code, and function prototypes in it. I'd save my 50 bucks for something else if you're thinking of getting this book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Most of it
Review: I have dozens of MFC and VC++ books and have always been buying Unleashed for different topics, this is the first time that the unleashed series has published a book without much regard to the sensetivity of the topics it covered. at certain areas the book is too breif e.g. dialgobar, ctrlbars, rebars wont tell you what to do and how to work with them, on the other hand the book does have some articals which are hard to find elsewhere. Most of the time i referr it i get disappointed. Probably the author(s) tried to collect a lots of articals while keeping the number of pages low and that made them skip so much of the necessary detail, i will not say that it is for advance user it is breif in certain areas and thats all.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm sure there's a better MFC resource out there...
Review: I wasn't too happy with this book. The only good thing about it is the fact that it covers a broad range of topics. However, in covering each topic, problems arose. There is a SERIOUS lack of detail. For instance, it will give the heading "Creating a Custom Component" and under that section, it basically shows you code snippets from an already created component. It does NOT go through the steps of creating one. The whole reason I bought this book was for step by step creation of components! <sigh> This is also done with the OpenGL stuff. For the contents of this particular section, one of the portions says "Add the custom view class you will create in this section to your project". When you go to that section, it says, and I quote "Select Project, Add To Project, Files, then select GLView.cpp and GLview.h... This, however, presupposes tha tyou have the CGLView class, so now is a good time to examine the mechanisms for running OpenGL from within a view". Then it gives a brief skim-over of how the class works, but not how it's integrated into the project or even how it's created. Also, different writers wrote different sections. This destroys any flow that may have possibly existed. Every chapter is written differently, none of which have a good Step-By-Step flow. Anyone who is familiar with programming books knows that a Step-By-Step flow is an integral part of any quality resource.
Rating:
Summary: Beginners Beware!
Review: If you are new to MFC, like I was, stay away from this book. It is completely useless for a beginner since I doesnt really cover the basics. Reading it will just confuse you. A few of the chapters can be helpful once you become an expert, but it's not worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Another disgruntled Canadian
Review: This book doesn't go into any detail at all and offers no examples of the subject they are talking about. Can be used as a reference only. Sure it covers everything that exists in MFC World, but it covers it all so briefly and in such little detail that it's not much use. Other than giving me a very heavy, blunt object to beat burglars to death with I can't see it being of much value.
Rating:
Summary: A MSDN for beginners.
Review: Well clearly this is not a beginners book and it has some very good advanced topics that are hard to find. After reading these topics one can be ready to go further.It covers COM/DCOM and even covers programming the registry ( a whole book on that will be nice). Also includes good material on TAPI and even multimedia like sound. For the level it was written for it is a good book. For beginners this will get 2-3 stars but if you already know the basics then buy this book. I definitely agree with the previous reader's comment, you would have increased your advanced level knowledge by a couple of steps. The one set back is the brief coverage of the common window controls in chapter three,and chaps one and two but you should already know these as a non beginner .
Rating: 
Summary: Collection of a lot of MFC Topics of widely varying quality
Review: Well this book objectively only deserves three stars, especially compared to Prosises book. But I really liked reading in it and it caught much more my attention. Thats my personal bonus of one star. Nearly each chapter of this book has a different author. Probably most authors read the headings of the other chapters, but not the chapters themselves. This makes them somewhat more selfcontained than in other books but also nothing is really thoroughly explained. I started with the winsock chapter which is a marvel. I would never have been reading past the first chapter without it. This contains a general architectural overview, which would make a good appendix. It certainly doesn't help you to get startet with this book or anything else. I enjoyed reading all the different authors viewpoints on MFC and can recommand this book to anyone wanting a good collection of articles on it.
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