Mastering Delphi 5

This book has helped me understand Delphi 5 with minimal problems. ALL of the examples worked, and that alone says something for this Author! Although I am not a starting fresh programmer, I found this book to be very helpful with understanding Delphi structures/components. I am transitioning from VB to Delphi, and this book really has shown me the ropes of Delphi! Much of the content overlaps what I already knew in VB, but showed me how it was done using Delphi. I have read dozens of books written for C/C++, Java, VB, HTML, ASP, and this one really gets into the "meat" of what is going on (unlike most). Don't worry about non-intelligent examples -- THE POINT IS: to show how the component or methodology works, and if you are talented enough to understand this, you will easily turn those examples into real situations/solutions. I have found that by using the simple approach, a beginner will understand how something works one step at a time; instead of getting a real-world situation all at once to only be confused by its complexity. Have an open mind while reading ANY book, and you will understand it much better :-)Anyway, this is a great book -- No doubting that. Marco Cantu really knows Delphi, and explains it very well. Great Job!

This book is a monster, which I usually despise; but Marco Cantu chose his words effectively and descriptively. Most everything I've looked for I've found in this book. It's a bit heavy, but definitely worth carrying around as a reference. It's the best Delphi reference book I've found so far. I wouldn't recommend reading it cover to cover, but look through the table of contents and pick the chapters you're most interested in. The index is useful as well.

This was one of the first books to cover the newest version of Delphi. It's too big to just sit down and read, so I originally used it mainly for reference. I've had no trouble looking things up in the index and finding just the right place in the book that covers the topic I need right away. But I'm finding it's better than just a reference tool. As I read and am presented with new knowledge, Marco seems to anticipate my next question and answers it immediately! I often find myself exclaiming, "Yes, I WAS wondering about that!" He doesn't dwell on any one topic too long, but leaves you with enough direction and curiosity to easily discover the rest of the solution on your own. I've used Borland's Pascal tools for many years and yet this book seems to shed new insights into this powerful object-oriented language.

I've bought a lot of Delphi books over the last few years, and this is one of the best! Excellent coverage of Database (including ADO, SQL, and N-Tier), Client/Server, and Internet programming. If you own Delphi 5 Pro or Enterprise...get this! It doesn't waste your time with a bunch of silly sections on creating little overlapping circles on your screen, nor does it deal much with Multimedia (my only complaint). If you are writing a real world database or Internet application, this book is well worth the money! (With it I finally understand the Delphi "messaging system.")This is a large book, with over 1000 pages, so it's no light read, but Canti's writing style is enjoyable. It's not really a book for absolute beginners, although it has an excellent language section for those who may need to bone up on Pascal.With this book, and a good Multimedia book you'll be well equipped to write the next great killer app!

This book continues the series of "Mastering..." books Cantu has authored. However, this volume is rather lighter on some of the basics that were part of earlier editions. That's a plus for persons familiar with Delphi already. Cantu wastes few words and to get maximum benefit one needs to work carefully along step by step using the examples downloadable from the internet. Of particular value are the tips and undocumented features Cantu shares. This is as good an introduction to Delphi 5 as anyone could hope for!