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quote:Originally posted by Chrisull
Ok can I inquire what specifically do you need VBscript for? My personal tendency would be to learn Javascript if you want to do some client-side scripting, as it's universal to all browsers (Firefox, Opera, Netscape) and not just IE. I think originally VBscript was a nice route into VB, but now you have things like weak typing in VBscript, that no longer exist in VB.NET (ie you can say Dim newVariable in Vbscript but in VB.NET you have to show your hand and say Dim newVariable as Integer or Dim newVariable as String).
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Mainly I'd want it for client-side scripting and for writing ActiveX scripts in SQL Server, though I don't know if SQL Server 2005 supports more languages than SQL Server 2000 does.
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quote:As you already know some Javascript, I think you're a step ahead. It has of course the painful case sensitivity (so newvariable and NewVariable are two different variables) and far too many brackets, but it's universality is a big upside . Plus if you're going to ever learn C#, then Javascript isn't that dis-similar in basic syntactic structures...
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True, but I just *hate* JavaScript. It's so fiddly. I guess I just better buckle down with it though.
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quote:As for IDEs - nothing wrong with Notepad for Sql queries, I find dynamic SQL builders a pain in the proverbial. In fact I stayed away from IDEs for a long time, it's only the practice of code behind that forces me into using them for ASP.NET, and the intelli-sense which helps me remember methods and properties I'd otherwise need to look up in a book.
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That's the best reason I can think of for using an IDE; I have used Visual InterDev in the past, though only because it had cool color-coding and because it was easy to switch back and forth between the code and a preview in IE of what I was writing.
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quote:OK in conclusion if you still want to learn VBScript, Beg ASP 3.0 is the best book in the Wrox canon for doing this. It teaches the whole VBscript structures in chapters 4 and 5 very thoroughly. There was an Instant Vbscript book and a VBscript reference, but if you want slow, I haven't been involved in writing a "slower" book than Beg ASP 3.0, and I'd recommend it above the other two (both of which I was involved in to a lesser degree). It is the easiest route in, however some of the principles learned in ASP then are "forgotten" in ASP.NET.
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OK, thanks for the tip!
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quote:If you want to learn ASP.NET 2.0, then Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 is our entry there. With regards to bad reviews, well the guy on Amazon.co.uk doesn't quote any particular mistakes, all we can do is correct mistakes as we find them. And again word of mouth, well if you can get people to let us know what specifically is wrong, we'll respond. Editions can be corrected between prints. As to your concern about speed - beginning ASP.NET starts slow but does crack on a bit between chapters 6 and 13, but I don't think impossibly so, it is intended to be a beginner's book.
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OK; I'll keep that in mind. Also, we both know how much different people can disagree over certain books; I own some books that are very helpful and valuable to me that have been rubbished in reviews on Amazon, though normally books I'm looking at have more than one review! :D
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quote:If you want VB.NET specifically you might find that Beginning VB.NET runs at a slower pace and is worth checking out. Of course there are offerings from other publishers, and you might want to compare against their offerings (I would, not because we're bad and I wouldn't recommend our books, but because you should always look for what suits you best).
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Absolutely; when I first started learning Visual Basic 6, I found Microsoft's own 'Step By Step' book to be extremely helpful. It has been so long since I had to use any
VB and of course my VB6 code doesn't work in
VB.Net, so I almost have to start all over again.
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quote:One last reason for sticking Wrox apart from the books I'd say is support. Are there many other forums where the authors and staff would log on and answer questions for you? If you choose to buy Beg ASp.NET 2.0 and you do get into difficulties, myself or Dave (or indeed some of the other authors) are here to try and point you in the right direction.
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I'll be honest with you, Chris...when I'm looking for a book on a specific subject, I normally check out Wrox's offerings first; not for the support, but because I've found that overall, they're well-written and good value for money.
