Pro C# 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform

I've read chapters 1-13 in their entirety read part of 14 and 15 and skimmed the ASP.NET chapters. It may be a while until I look through the rest of what's in this huge book, so I may as well review it now. This book is really two books in one. The first part, Chapters 1-14, cover C# the language. The rest of the book covers stuff about the .NET platform. The first 13 chapters of this book are nothing short of outstanding. I have many years of experience working with C#, but I haven't done any C# programming at all for the last year, so I felt that I needed to refresh my knowledge of the language, as well as learn about what has been added since version 1.0 This book was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Not only did I relearn everything about C# that I had forgotten, I learned a lot more than I ever knew. I feel like I know C# better now than I ever did before. The author of this book doesn't just explain the language, he also explains what's going on behind the scenes in the CIL, so you really get a full understanding of exactly what's happening when your C# code is compiled. Delegates are the part of C# that I always found the hardest to understand. This book explains delegates better than anything else I've read, I feel like I finally understand them. The author of this book also avoids the two things I hate most about certain other computer books: (1) He never uses unprofessional nerd-language like "Wow, this technique is really cool!" Yes, some computer books have sentences like that and I think its demeaning to the programming profession. I don't recall reading through any bad grammar--the author is a very good writer. (2) The code samples are short and to the point. There's nothing I hate more than unnecessarily long code samples (except for the nerd-speak). But is this book all perfect? Not really. I wish the author just cut it off at chapter 14 (which introduces LINQ but really doesn't go into enough detail for one to understand it) and sold the book for half the price. This book is too big and too expensive. For example, the ASP.NET chapters don't seem very useful. ASP.NET is a huge topic, way too big to be covered in three chapters. I think the three chapters here would be too confusing for an ASP.NET beginner, and not comprehensive enough at all for the professional ASP.NET programmer. Despite my annoyances at the books size and coverage of material that's unnecessary, I'm so happy about the quality of the first 13 chapters that I give it 5 stars.

Andrew hits the mark again. This is the 3rd version of this book I own. Everyone of them does an excellent job of covering all the new features in the latest release. I skipped the .NET 3.0 version because there weren't many new features added to the C# language itself. I am glad I got this book for this 3.5 release because there are a ton of new features. This book covers all of them in detail. If you have never bought one of Andrews books, and you a serious about programming C#, you simply have too. He relates the language features to the pillars of OOP (inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism) in great detail. Understanding these pillars is a definite prerequisite to moving into and understanding design patterns. One of the other things I like about this book is the material on programming with .NET assemblies. The key to good architecture is developing with components. This material teaches you everything you need to know about .NET assemblies which you need to know in order to develop with .NET components. This is a must have for every C# developer. If you have not read this book, you are definitely not taking advantage of all the C# / .NET 3.5 language features in the language.

Visually this book is easy to read. A detailed 37 page index and bold page numbers at the top of the pages make it easy to quickly locate desired information. Sometimes the term "Pro" is used in the title of books that don't really deserve that classification. In my opinion, this book has very much earned the "Pro" designation. While the C# language is covered in detail, no time is wasted describing what an array or variable is. Another example, the book spends more time explaining how to implement encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism within the language than explaining these basic OO concepts. So if you are new to programming, look elsewhere. The style of writing might be described as a touch dry. Not much in the way of humor or such, but then again this is a "Pro" book. You are reading it for information, not entertainment. In many respects this book is a two in one deal. The first ~450 pages are a thorough coverage of the C# language. The remainder being an extensive look at the .NET framework. In short I would describe the book as a very comprehensive guide to C# 2008 and the 3.5 version of the .NET framework recommend it highly.

I purchased this book to help me get up to speed with .NET 3.5 as it relates to C# and WPF. I was not disappointed with the C# coverage, and at 1332 pages, the author had to draw the line somewhere. WPF gets introductory treatment, but as the author points out, the subject is too large for this book (and he points the reader to a soon-to-be released book that specifically covers WPF). Beginners to C# will find a thorough, readable presentation of the language with many short example programs from basic to advanced topics. Intermediate to advanced users will find this work a handy reference, with no dark corners of C# left unexposed. ASP.NET and ADO.NET are given several strong chapters (including an excellent introduction to LINQ), and WCF and WF each get a good introductory chapter; WPF gets good (but admittedly not-comprehensive) coverage starting at XAML, proceeding to working with WPF Controls and ending at 2D graphics, resources and themes. Of course, Pro C# 2008 really shines in presenting the new C# .NET 3.5 additions, why they are there, and when to use them (think "LINQ"). There is even a very good appendix on getting C# to interoperate with non-managed COM code. Beginners on up will find this a valuable addition to one's programming library.

Troelsen's 3rd edition was one of my most thumbed-through C# books on my bookshelf. I found myself invariably rereading the same chapters each time gleaming just a little bit more than I had previously - and that for me is a good thing and what I really appreciate in his work; the examples he gives are ones which seem to keep on giving. On the first read through you get an appreciation for the technology used, subsequent perusals allow me to really hone down and understand the magic behind the code. The 4th edition continues this trend and it is obvious that a huge amount of work went into keeping this book up to date. Where advances in the framework or language allow, you'll find that previous examples from the 3rd edition are still there but are now supplemented and enhanced by their younger 3.5 and 2008 siblings. Many aspects of the latest language editions are given enough coverage as to be useful without overbearing the overall tome (for example LINQ). In addition the author provides a good explanation as to the background for some of the new language features which, at first glance, may seem somewhat superfluous. If there is to be any complaint at all it would be in the index, for example Extension Methods merits but a single page entry which directs you to a page in the "Introduction to LINQ chapter", despite the fact that the subject itself is covered in its own section over nine pages in the previous chapter! In addition the pages feel a tish thin which doesn't help when the opposing page have one or more console screen shots (with black backgrounds) - but that's a minor gripe. Given the books size (it tops out at a toe-crunching 1370 pages) it's tough to see how much more the author could have packed in to this treat! Highly recommended.