Thread: Recommended C#/.NET Book

  1. #1
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    Recommended C#/.NET Book

    Hello.

    After analyzing the software industry, I believe C# and .NET are and will remain apart of a major set of development tool on the Win32 and Win64 platform second to only a combination of C/C++. With that in mind, I would like to ask what is the most complete and advanced programming book on C#/.NET?

    Here are the books I am considering.


    Programming Microsoft .NET by Jeff Prosise

    Pro: Very good overall
    Con: Broad and emphasizes .ASP

    Programming Windows with C# (Core Reference) by Charles Petzold

    Pro: Complete - discusses all GUI tools, etc.
    Con: Fundamental - many examples of Windows Forms and no advanced design including multithreading, etc.

    Applied Microsoft .NET Framework Programming by Jeffrey Richter

    Pro: Extensive coverage of CRT and .NET
    Con: Overrated, lacking advanced subjects including multithreading, etc. It is not like his previous book on Win32 programming.

    I am trying to buy as few books as possible and still acquire a good overall understanding of C#/.NET and extensive converage of the framework for maximizing an application's performance. I am interested in multithreading, multiple processes, memory mapping, IPC, serial communication, socket, etc.

    I believe I can learn the specifics (GUI) via experimenting, MSDN, and of course forums.

    Thanks,

    Kuphryn

  2. #2
    the hat of redundancy hat nvoigt's Avatar
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    I answered a PM last week that the same question:

    thats a tough question, not because there aren't good books, but because C# is so easy to understand once you know C++ and a hint of Java that it is hard to find the differences between good books and average books.

    First there is a book by Petzold: Programming MS Windows with C#. While it is a nice read, it's not the bible it used to be for C++.
    I would not recommend that for learning C# although something with Petzold on the cover looks tempting

    I read "Presenting C#" from Sams and "C# Essentials" from O'Reilly while .NET was in Beta ( 2001 ? ). Both are rather small, 200 pages each, but both present C# without all the overhead you'd need when presenting something to a programming newbie. Both aren't exactly exceptional material, but short and to the point. I guess they had revisions since I read them anyway.

    "Inside C#" from MS Press ( Tom Archer / Andrew Whitechapel ) has about 800 pages and is the standard reading on .NET/C# here. It doesn't neccessarily have more content then the two short books above, but it's more detailed and has more examples.

    I read those books when they came out in 2001 in english, so I can't say whether the revisions did them any good or how well they have been translated, but I found the old english versions to be easy and understandable. There are a lot of newer books on the subject, but that's the ones I read and found helpful
    hth
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  3. #3
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    Okay. Thanks.

    Kuphryn

  4. #4
    It's full of stars adrianxw's Avatar
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    I bought "Programming C#" by Jesse Liberty, third edition, as it is "Updated for 1.1 and VS .NET 2003", which is the software I have. As far as I've got, it's okay, but comng from C/C++ I suppose I would think that.

    It has a few mistakes in it, there are a couple of early examples which will not compile due to missing semi colons for example, but anyone coming at it from here should be okay with that kind of goof.
    Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity unto the dream.

  5. #5
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    I'm currently enjoying the Kick Start to Visual C# .net 2003 book by Steven Holzner

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books


    It assumes you know the basics of programming, and just hops right in on the new syntax of C# and everything.

    I recommend it

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