Network programming in .NET : C# & Visual Basic .NET

Rating:
Summary: Need source code?
Review: Contrary to Tony's experience, I was very quickly contacted by the author and have been told by the author that the link to the source code would be given to anyone with a valid purchase of the book. An electronic copy could also be obtained through the author or his publisher.

If you're in need of the source code, please send the author a request. I'm sure he's more than happy to provide it to you.

Now it's time to get the book and see if it's any good. ;-)


Rating:
Summary: Save your time and money
Review: Even though there is some good information in this book, there is no complete source code provided. The author gives examples in both C# and VB.Net but will not provide a link to download the source code. After contacting the author, he replied that if he provided source code no one would buy the book!!??. Unless you want to type in a couple hundred pages of incomplete code, save your time and money on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Wide Coverage WITHOUT Source Code
Review: Overall, covers many areas, lacks detailed socket theory, wastes space and no source code.

The book covers a lot of stuff that I hadn't anticipated, which I thought was great. The book goes from Streaming, sockets, numerous internet related protocols, multicasting, telephony and MSMQ.

The book really lacks detailed explanation on Sockets however there are plenty of code examples to learn from. The samples could use more detailed explanation. They are concise and the few I took the time to type in worked fine.

There is no mention of source code being available. I contacted the publisher, Elsevier - Digital Press, and after a 3 day delay said 'the source code is on the inside cover'. No sure what that means I guess I will have to wait another 3 days to find out.

One other dislike was the fact that every code snippet is duplicated in each language. The book is intended for non beginners so there should be no need to waste so much space. The second language should be available in a download.

I gave the 4 only because of the wide coverage and great theory in these other areas. The book will get you writing apps that can talk to each other over IP.

Rating:
Summary: A word from the author
Review: The book is a complete introduction to developing network programs in both C# and VB.NET. It includes chapters on the fundamentals of network programming, TCP and UDP sockets, multicasting, HTTP and SMTP, Remoting, and Web services. Not only that, but it also covers rare, and hard-to-find practical information on Telephony, Packet capture, MSMQ, and IPv6. Whether you're a professional network programmer, or just want to see what's possible, you'll find that .NET Network Programming is a complete guide to the capabilities of networking in the .NET framework.