Francesco Balena
1 A note for prospective buyers
I suspect most people who have reviewed this book are experienced developers, and I imagine this book is great for them. However, I found that the book was not very useful for a less-than-experienced reader (specifically, me).
The main thing that bugged me was that the cover makes it sound like a complete reference for everyone, but if you dig deep enough into the introduction, you're told that the book is written specifically for VB6 developers - and the rest of the book very much bears that out. If you are not a VB6 developer you may feel like this book was not written for you, and that's correct - it was not.
This VB6 slant is so pronounced that I believe the front or back cover should have stated - very clearly - that this book is wirtten with the VB6 developer in mind. Better yet, the title should have "for VB6 developers" in it somewhere. In either case I would have (correctly) avoided wasting money on a book that is not written for my needs.
2 Best Book for VB .NET
I have spent at least $1000 on programming books and this book by far is one of the best I have read. If you are a VB 6 programming or even have an understanding of basic programming concept you will get much more from this, but it does briefly explain the basic concepts as well. Ranging in topics from the .NET composition, OOP, Databases, Security, Remoting, Graphics, Custom Controls, and so much more, this is the book you're looking for!
3 Excellent VB.Net Book
This is indeed a very good book, goes through most of the requirement for .Net programming. I use it as a reference all the time.
It does lack in-depth insight into all the things it explained but that is impossible for a book with this kind of scope.
4 Excellent
This book and .NET XML Web Services Step by Step by Adam Freeman and Allen Jones have answered virtually all of my questions about building production distributed database applications using XML Web services. If you're interested, you can download a sample of my working code at www.opointe.com
5 Simply the best ever...
Incredible, so many aspects covered. I bought the first edition in 2002 without experience in .Net Universe. Reading it 2 times and trying exemples. From a VB6 programmer view, .Net is so biggggg, but after a while, with the help of this book, I grab some good understanding. Now, I bought the new edition, better than ever. Clear,concise and well written.
Don't buy any other books if you don't have lot of cash. THIS one is... SIMPLY THE BEST EVER.
6 Excellent Reference Book
I have used Francesco's book extensively with very good results. I think it is a programmer's toolkit with very direct examples and it goes straight to the point.
It obviously is a book you will find more useful the more you are involved with VB.NET programming and may not be particularly good for a beginner.
7 Another solid title from Francesco Balena
I have been using Francesco Balena's "Programming Visual Basic 6.0" (also by MS Press) for several years. That book is clearly written in an understandable way and flows well.
Like its predesessor, Programming Visual Basic .NET is clearly written, flows in a logical order and most importantly makes sense!
The book is well edited (has very few mistakes/typos) and comes with this book as well as Francesco's VB 6.0 book on the companion CD (as well as all the example code).
I also like that this book doesn't try to build a "super app" chapter by chapter as so many books do. In those books, if you want to just read up on a particular topic, you've got to aquaint yourself with everything the author has done up to that point just to understand what you were looking for in the first place. With this book, you can open up to any chapter and not have to have built some application that started 20 chapters back to get it!
8 Excellent Book
This book is excellent for the VB6 programmer making the transition to VB.Net. There are a large number of examples, and the explanations are very in-depth. I haven't found a book yet that compares to this one in quality or quantity of content.
9 Great
If I had to have only one VB.NET book, this would be it. Certainly, it is not the only one on my shelf, but it would do well on a deserted island (where a social life doesn't matter). It covers a wide range of topic areas and covers them well. It is not terse, but it still can be easy to gloss over important items. Big and heavy, but opens flat so that it is easy to place in front of your monitor as you read along and try out the topics. Excellent.
Edit: now that I have gone through another dozen or so VB.NET books, this is the ONE book that I would keep on a deserted island.
10 Excellent
This is best book, if you have experience in programming some language ( I am a Java Programmer) and wants to jump in to .NET using Visual Basic. This book specifically targeted for hardcore programmer.. and not beginners
11 By far the best VB.NET reference for experienced programmers
A very thorough and well written VB.NET reference, with just enough code examples. If only there were a C# edition of this book. Since purchasing it I've begun to do more C# than VB, yet I still refer back to this book more than any other .NET reference.
12 The best book I have on .NET
This book is the most complete I have found on .NET (I have 4 other books). Beware this isn't a beginners text as Balena outlines very early on. The book is written with experienced VB6 developers in mind. However, it should be usable if coming from other languages as well.
The book is very complete and covers everything from forms to data access, ASP.NET, web services, classes, file access and custom controls. It's also very well organized and reads very easily for a reference book. The index is well organized so it's easy to find what you're looking for. The book makes reference to VB6 a great deal to help those coming from that environment. This book and Balena's VB6 book are included on CD.
13 Great book but TMI
I love this book (so far, only about 100 pages into it) but the references to VB 4,5 and 6 could've been left out. When I go back to review examples I don't really want to have to scan the entire passage to make sure he's talking about VB.net instead of VB 6 (or 4 or 5 for that matter)- I just want to glance at the subject (and snippet) and move on; Other than this minor annoyance, it's a perfect book.
14 Fantastic Book
This is one of the BEST books on programming that I have read.
The concepts are explained extremely well. I would definitely recommend this book to VB programmers who want to ge a good grasp and eventually master .net technology and VB.net specifically.
15 Fantastic Boo,
This is one of the BEST books on programming that I have read.
The concepts are explained extremely well. I would definitely recommend this book to VB programmers who want to get a good grasp and eventually master .net technology and VB.net specifically.
16 Best Visual Basic .NET book so far ...
Let me just say that I have tons of Visual Basic .NET books which include my previous beloved Applied Microsoft .NET Framework Programming in Microsoft Visual Basic .NET (what a mouth full) that also author by Mr. Francesco Balena together with Jeffrey Richter.
Well, I don't know why I waited so long before getting Programming Microsoft Visual Basic .NET by Francesco Balena. It has something to do with the fact that I already have a copy of the Framework programming book, or so I thought.
Let's just say after reading countless books on the framework and the .NET idioms etc I still find the concepts somewhat elusive, until one day I accidentally flipped throught this book and it instantly made all the concepts clear to me. I put this book in the same category as Mr. Ted Pattison's outstanding Programming Distributed Applications with COM+ and Visual Basic 6.0 book.
I got to go study now, but will write some more after I'm through with it.
Thanks Mr Balena, and keep playing that Jazz saxophone. By the way, I am a Jazz guitarist as well.
17 The only VB book you'l ever need
This book is absolutely great. This book taght me everything I needed to know about VB .NET to develop a complex application. It has easy to understand sample applications with superb detail explanation. I think this book should be an example for other authors how to organize thier materials.
I can not say enough about how great this book is. I highly recommend it to everyone.
18 Simply a superb book
I've read a lot of tech books. Most leave you wanting even the basic necessities. This book is fabulous. It's clear, concise and well organized. After reading a topic, I feel like I have a clear understanding of it. I've been actually applying what he writes in real situations and they work.
Highly recommended!
By the way, I'm reviewing the 2002 version. I'm thinking about splurging for the 2003 version!
19 Don't buy first edition. This is the one.
This book SINGLE HANDEDLY trained me and got me my dream job in ASP.NET / SQL Server. IF you want a book that cuts through *all* the BS, and tells you what you NEED to know, you found it! The author's writing style is superb; he keeps the topics interesting and fun. Study .NET with this book and you'll rise to the top and be the envy of all your colleagues - yes, it's *that* good.
We have 3 developers at my place of work. We had 4 copies of Programming VB.NET 2002, and just today we got 3 copies in of the 2003 edition. We are very excited to be able jump into this version. Balena adds the much needed .NET Remoting chapter as well as a full text search (PDF) of the whole 2003 book on CD. Also, this book covers VS.NET 2003 and .NET 1.1
MAKE your boss buy you this book now.
If you're the boss, you know what to do!
Happy .NETing
Jim
