VB.NET Language in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference

I'm a guy who has been programming professionally since 1994. Many, even most, of the contracts I have worked on have been VB contracts. I've been on board with VB since version 3. I was one of the many who were completely thrown off by the conversion to VB.NET, hence I decided to switch to C# rather than make the jump to VB.NET. After learning C# I was forced by professional circumstance to use a little VB.NET on projects where conversion to C# was not an option. This little book gave me all of the information I needed to make the jump, and make it quick. It contains a gold-mine of information at every little glance. It's not a tutorial, it is a quick reference. I think it is a terrific little book.

I absolutely highly recommend this book. Having read through several .NET books with no rhyme or reason whatsoever as to how they're put together, I was hoping this book would become a concise _beginning_ point of reference for me. Boy was I wrong! I use this book constantly. The first week I had it, I referenced it almost daily, and not just for the quick-fix-reminders (in which order do those stupid DateDiff arguments come?). There are nine chapters before the actual reference, which are a veritable tome of information not found anywhere else (at least, not by me). In fact, I'd venture to say that the chapter on OOP should be required reading before you can even download the framework. There are a lot of concepts in that chapter that are required even to build simple apps in ASP.NET (not to mention VB.NET) that in Classic ASP were not necessary. So, who is VB.NET in a Nutshell good for? The book goes into great detail about the differences between VB 6 and VB.NET: each chapter includes the relevant differences to the topic at hand; and each reference entry includes a section on VB6/VB.NET differences. So if you're looking for a book to ease your transition to the .NET world, this is all you need. If you are new to programming, then you have several chapters on the major concepts, as well as a roughly 450-page section on the VB.NET Language. In fact, on page xi of the preface, it actually says (and I paraphrase): Developers who know Visual Basic; developers who know other programming languages; and developers who are new to programming. Well, shucks, that's pretty much anyone who's reading this review, isn't it? Stop reading now. Buy it. I said stop.

I think the book stands up to it's title. It's a quick tour of the VB.NET language for the pro(specially for VB6 users). After i took some courses in VB.NET i was looking for books to read further and this out of many i read has the most clarifying and to the point examples. Certainly has not detailed explanations but that's not it's purpose. It's an overview and i think a bright one.

Let me say this: THIS IS NOT A "HOW TO" BOOK. Aside from that, anyone who is using VB .NET will love and rely on this valuable and well-organized reference. The "In a Nutshell" series by O'Reilly is among the best out there.

Just when you though it was time to kick back and enjoy your accomplishment in the VB world, someone would just had to come and messed it up - "So, have you look into VB .NET yet?". Tell you the truth, a few months ago, you would have to drag me kicking-and-screaming to get me in the .NET water with my VB swimsuit! With all the rumor of many changes to VB, the idea of re-learning VB was like decaffeined coffee!So for me to convert to VB .NET, it has to be quick and painless. And this book did just that. It cuts right through the red tape and gets straight to the core. VB .NET language are explored from A to Z. Aside from being labeled as a language reference, the authors go extra the mile to include dedicated chapters on significant topics in VB .NET that are new to VB such as class inheritant, new datatypes, .NET concept and framework. Not to mention the little details such as tips and gotchas added along side with the reference section which make this book quite enjoyable to read too.I recommend this book for the VB fan, including those who are reluctant to convert to VB .NET like I was. This book is will ease your transition to VB .NET quickly and efficiently.