Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Visual Basic .Net 2003 in 24 Hours Complete Starter Kit [With DVD-ROM]

I'm a Cobol and PL1 programmer with 20 years experince in the IT industry. I wanted to make the transition to newer technologies, including VB.NET. This meant I had to start understanding Object Oriented programming as well as the VB.NET syntax and what it can do. This book is GREAT in the sense that it takes you step by step through VB.NET features. Halfway though the book I was confidently adding stuff to the exercises I had learnt earlier in the book. I can see that the book may be too 'simple' for experienced VB & VB.NET programmers but don't believe that is the target market for this book anyway. This book is pitched at the beginner programmer and achieves what it sets out do to. It gets you going. Well done, James, and Thanks. AJ.

Every once in a long while, a great book comes along that forces even someone like me to post a public opinion. This book unlike a lot of other "great" books takes you step by step and actually show you "HOW it is done" and not just tell you what you are to do.After trying another VB.NET Beginners book that was highly touted on the internet I almost gave up.I came accross this book on the shelf of Borders just by chanceand what a pleasure, pure pleasure.This is a sample of how these kinds of books should be writtenTHANKS MR. FOXALL !!!!!!!!

If you just starting out with VB.net then this is a good book to start out with. A well written book that keeps your interest and presents its subject matter in a straightforward, easy to understand manor. Each lesson builds on the previous lesson enabling the beginner to get a grasp of the subject matter quickly and easily as well as build a good foundation for more advanced books. Excellent book for the beginner.

James Foxall is that very rare author, a person who not only knows his subject matter, but also has the ability to teach it to others. Right away in Chapter One you get to build an interesting application that makes you want to learn more, but the real magic is in the way he takes you there. You learn a concept not in isolation, but within the context of the other key concepts needed to make it work. James is able to teach you just enough about these other concepts to make sense, without swamping you with detail. At the same time, he is careful to explain that he will provide more detail later on, at a more suitable point. The result is that you learn quickly in a framework that makes sense at all times, and where you know your questions are going to be answered further on. In effect you almost feel mentored as you move from chapter to chapter.This is an excellent book for people starting out to learn Visual Basic.NET. It should also be compulsory reading for all authors of technical books. This is how technical books ought to be.

I'm a big fan of Foxall's books, particularly his MCSD in a Nutshell book. This is an excellent introduction to Visual Basic .NET. Visual Basic .NET is a different beast from Visual Basic 6, and this book does a good job of teaching you the new way of doing things. I was a little afraid of getting a book that rehashes vb 6 material, but this book is clearly a ".NET" book. Highly recommended!