This book has so many errors that some time is very difficult to understand how it was possible to publish it.
Particularly areas related to Data Access with .NET, Viewing .NET Data. Many code samples are missing or based on old samples copied from the previous books. For example, some samples are still using DataGrid control that not recommended using anymore (use DataGridView control instead). In the Viewing .Net Data part of the book the “Other Common requirements” section (8 pages) has description of the code project that was completely missing for download and it makes very difficult to follow text without sample.
I just mention one example but I can create a long list of errors, inconsistent text and missing samples.
I would not recommend buying this book.

I second that. I found that this book could be used more as a reference to get your mind on the right track but was certainly not worth the $50 i spent on it. The book is very hard to follow and the lack of examples to explain how to implement the topic into a real situation really has hindered the book. I would defiantly NOT recommend buying this book.

Yes, this book is not very clear.

I believe "Beginning Visual C# 2005" much better in methodology to explain the complicated subject.

But this book for "professional programmers", probably we have to know C# quite well before to dive with authors into this Microsoft technology.

Another problem - there are no time for improvement - today we have .NET 3.5.

This could very possibly be the worst book I've ever read in my 30+ years as a professional programmer.

It's readily apparent that the authors were more interested in finishing the book as quickly as possible, as opposed to devoting the appropriate time and effort to writing clear and concise explanations of come complex topics.

The sample code contains far too many errors - did the authors even bother to try running the code? (Authors -- don't blame the beta version of Visual Studio 2005, I had it too and was able to create lots of working applications). Some of the code samples were so poorly planned that they created more confusion than clarification.

The fact that Wrox let this excuse for a book hit bookstore shelves tells me a lot and what they think of me as a purchaser of their products. Now they want $10.00 more for C# Professional 2008, written by the same bunch. Save your money, and your even more valuable time.

please send me MeetingRoomBooker.mdf at [email protected]

Thanks
G

Perhaps I can shed some light on this subject. I've written multiple-author books myself and they are an order of magnitude more difficult than just writing the book yourself. First, the authors likely have vastly different programming experience. Some may have been in the trenches for decades; others for just a few years. Second, few programmers have teaching experience. One of the brightest programmers I ever knew was absolutely the worst teacher on the planet. Teaching and writing may look easy, but it's requires much more than just being a talented programmer. Third, the more authors on the book, the harder it is to "smooth" out the narrative so it looks like one person wrote it. This puts a huge editing burden on the publisher and often puts the book behind schedule. Fourth, authors are often physically located far from each other. Of the multi-author books I've been involved in, all but one was with people I saw on a daily basis. The one where we were scattered across the country was a disaster on several levels. One author was consistently late with his material. Our deadline was Oct. 1 for all material, which all of us met except for him. He finished in Jan! As a result, the publisher had to rush the book through editing and production and it was significantly less than it should have been.

So, how do you avoid buying a bad book? First, read the reviews of the book. Amazon regularly reviews books and publishes them. You can probably Goolge the title and find other reviews. (If the book is too new for a review, place more reliance on the other suggestions to follow below.) BTW, Amazon does seem to pay attention to the reviews. I had one reviewer complain about a specific topic not being covered in my book. I wrote a comment to that review and pointed out that over 10 pages were devoted to that topic. Shortly afterwards, and without word from me, Amazon pulled the erroneous review.

Second, Goolge the authors and see what else they've written and how those were reviewed. Most good authors don't just write books, they also write articles and give presentations at conferences (e.g., Tech Ed, Software Development Conference, etc.) I believe this helps you discover new and better ways to explain things, as does classroom teaching. Third, are the authors physically close to one another? Do they work for the same company or at least in the same city? Believe it or not, that makes a huge difference. Fourth, have the authors worked together before? If so, how are those reviews? Fifth, who is the technical editor? A good tech ed person is worth their weight in gold as they serve as the first line of defense against program errors getting into print. Again, Google the tech ed name and see if they've worked on other books and then Google those books.

In short, if do your homework and follow some of these suggestions, you'll decrease the likelihood of buying a disappointing book. BTW, I've written for several different publishing companies and Wrox really does care about the quality of its books. If you have a complaint, let them know and they will do their best to see the problem is fixed and doesn't happen again.

Jack Purdum


Jack Purdum, Ph.D.
Author: Beginning C# 3.0: Introduction to Object Oriented Programming (and 14 other programming texts)

the professional c# 2005 version is very hard to follow... it is difficult even for professional programmers ....the book lacks proper examples and most of the code appears to familarize you with the controls than the concepts...

i would recommend "beginning c# 2005 " wrox pub.

"visual c# 2005 step by step " is a good book for beginners.. it explains concepts using short applications