Showing posts with label dotnet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dotnet. Show all posts

Professional ADO.NET 3.5 with LINQ and the Entity Framework (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review

Professional ADO.NET 3.5 with LINQ and the Entity Framework (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)
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Professional ADO.NET 3.5 with LINQ and the Entity Framework (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) ReviewI bought this book to get a better handle on the advantages offered by LINQ and the Entity Framework to build Enterprise web applications. Although the author appears to have expertise in the subject matter, the style in which it is communicated was very difficult to follow. I would not rate this as one of the better technical books I have read. There is a lot of trivia throughout the book that really distracts from the content. Even the style and organization of the book does not allow the reader to read at a fast pace, since it does not clearly enough distinguish critical and superfluous content.Professional ADO.NET 3.5 with LINQ and the Entity Framework (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) OverviewLanguage Integrated Query (LINQ), as well as the C# 3.0 and VB 9.0 language extensions to support it, is the most import single new feature of Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.x. LINQ is Microsoft's first attempt to define a universal query language for a diverse set of in-memory collections of generic objects, entities persisted in relational database tables, and element and attributes of XML documents or fragments, as well as a wide variety of other data types, such as RSS and Atom syndication feeds. Microsoft invested millions of dollars in Anders Hejlsberg and his C# design and development groups to add new features to C# 3.0—such as lambda expressions, anonymous types, and extension methods—specifically to support LINQ Standard Query Operators (SQOs) and query expressions as a part of the language itself.
Corresponding additions to VB 9.0 followed the C# team's lead, but VB's implementation of LINQ to XML offers a remarkable new addition to the language: XML literals. VB's LINQ to XML implementation includes XML literals, which treat well-formed XML documents or fragments as part of the VB language, rather than requiring translation of element and attribute names and values from strings to XML DOM nodes and values.
This book concentrates on hands-on development of practical Windows and Web applications that demonstrate C# and VB programming techniques to bring you up to speed on LINQ technologies. The first half of the book covers LINQ Standard Query Operators (SQOs) and the concrete implementations of LINQ for querying collections that implement generic IEnumerable, IQueryable, or both interfaces. The second half is devoted to the ADO.NET Entity Framework, Entity Data Model, Entity SQL (eSQL) and LINQ to Entities. Most code examples emulate real-world data sources, such as the Northwind sample database running on SQL Server 2005 or 2008 Express Edition, and collections derived from its tables. Code examples are C# and VB Windows form or Web site/application projects not, except in the first chapter, simple command-line projects. You can't gain a feel for the behavior or performance of LINQ queries with "Hello World" projects that process arrays of a few integers or a few first and last names.
This book is intended for experienced .NET developers using C# or VB who want to gain the maximum advantage from the query-processing capabilities of LINQ implementations in Visual Studio 2008—LINQ to Objects, LINQ to SQL, LINQ to DataSets, and LINQ to XML—as well as the object/relational mapping (O/RM) features of VS 2008 SP1's Entity Framework/Entity Data Model and LINQ to Entities and the increasing number of open-source LINQ implementations by third-party developers.
Basic familiarity with generics and other language features introduced by .NET 2.0, the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE), and relational database management systems (RDBMSs), especially Microsoft SQL Server 200x, is assumed. Experience with SQL Server's Transact-SQL (T-SQL) query language and stored procedures will be helpful but is not required. Proficiency with VS 2005, .NET 2.0, C# 2.0, or VB 8.0 will aid your initial understanding of the book's C# 3.0 or VB 9.0 code samples but isn't a prerequisite.
Microsoft's .NET code samples are primarily written in C#. All code samples in this book's chapters and sample projects have C# and VB versions unless they're written in T-SQL or JavaScript.
Professional ADO.NET 3.5: LINQ and the Entity Framework concentrates on programming the System.Linq and System.Linq.Expressions namespaces for LINQ to Objects, System.Data.Linq for LINQ to SQL, System.Data.Linq for LINQ to DataSet, System.Xml.Linq for LINQ to XML, and System.Data.Entity and System.Web.Entity for EF's Entity SQL.
"Taking a New Approach to Data Access in ADO.NET 3.5," uses simple C# and VB code examples to demonstrate LINQ to Objects queries against in-memory objects and databinding with LINQ-populated generic List collections, object/relational mapping (O/RM) with LINQ to SQL, joining DataTables with LINQ to DataSets, creating EntitySets with LINQ to Entities, querying and manipulating XML InfoSets with LINQ to XML, and performing queries against strongly typed XML documents with LINQ to XSD.
"Understanding LINQ Architecture and Implementation," begins with the namespaces and C# and VB language extensions to support LINQ, LINQ Standard Query Operators (SQOs), expression trees and compiled queries, and a preview of domain-specific implementations. C# and VB sample projects demonstrate object, array, and collection initializers, extension methods, anonymous types, predicates, lambda expressions, and simple query expressions.
"Executing LINQ Query Expressions with LINQ to Objects," classifies the 50 SQOs into operator groups: Restriction, Projection, Partitioning, Join, Concatenation, Ordering, Grouping, Set, Conversion, and Equality, and then lists their keywords in C# and VB. VS 2008 SP1 includes C# and VB versions of the LINQ Project Sample Query Explorer, but the two Explorers don't use real-world collections as data sources. This describes a LINQ in-memory object generator (LIMOG) utility program that writes C# 3.0 or VB 9.0 class declarations for representative business objects that are more complex than those used by the LINQ Project Sample Query Explorers. Sample C# and VB queries with these business objects as data sources are more expressive than those using a arrays of a few integers or last names.
"Working with Advanced Query Operators and Expressions," introduces LINQ queries against object graphs with entities that have related (associated) entities. This begins with examples of aggregate operators, explains use of the Let temporary local variable operator, shows you how to use Group By with aggregate queries, conduct the equivalent of left outer joins, and take advantage of the Contains() SQO to emulate SQL's IN() function. You learn how to compile queries for improved performance, and create mock object classes for testing without the overhead of queries against relational persistence stores.
"Using LINQ to SQL and the LinqDataSource," introduces LINQ to SQL as Microsoft's first O/RM tool to reach released products status and shows you how to autogenerate class files for entity types with the graphical O/R Designer or command-line SqlMetal.exe. This also explains how to edit *.dbml mapping files in the Designer or XML Editor, instantiate DataContext objects, and use LINQ to SQL as a Data Access Layer (DAL) with T-SQL queries or stored procedures. Closes with a tutorial for using the ASP.NET LinqDataSource control with Web sites or applications.
"Querying DataTables with LINQ to DataSets," begins with a comparison of DataSet and DataContext objects and features, followed by a description of the DataSetExtensions. Next comes querying untyped and typed DataSets, creating lookup lists, and generating LinqDataViews for databinding with the AsDataView() method. This ends with a tutorial that shows you how to copy LINQ query results to DataTables.
"Manipulating Documents with LINQ to XML," describes one of LINQ most powerful capabilities: managing XML Infosets. This demonstrates that LINQ to XML has query and navigation capabilities that equal or surpasses XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0. It also shows LINQ to XML document transformation can replace XQuery and XSLT 1.0+ in the majority of common use cases. You learn how to use VB 9.0's XML literals to constructs XML documents, use GroupJoin() to produce hierarchical documents, and work with XML namespaces in C# and VB.
"Exploring Third-Party and Emerging LINQ Implementations," describes Microsoft's Parallel LINQ (also called PLINQ) for taking advantage of multiple CPU cores in LINQ to Objects queries, LINQ to REST for translating LINQ queries into Representational State Transfer URLs that define requests to a Web service with the HTML GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE methods, and Bart De Smet's LINQ to Active Directory and LINQ to SharePoint third-party implementations.
"Raising the Level of Data Abstraction with the Entity Data Model," starts with a guided tour of the development of EDM and EF as an O/RM tool and heir apparent to ADO.NET DataSets, provides a brief description of the entity-relationship (E-R) data model and diagrams, and then delivers a detailed analysis of EF architecture. Next comes an introduction to the Entity SQL (eSQL) language, eSQL queries, client views, and Object Services, including the ObjectContext, MetadataWorkspace, and ObjectStateManager. Later chapters describe eSQL and these objects in greater detail. Two C# and VB sample projects expand on the eSQL query and Object Services sample code.
"Defining Conceptual, Mapping, and Storage Schema Layers," provides detailed insight into the structure of the *.edmx file that generates the *.ssdl (storage schema data language), *.msl (mapping schema language), and *.csdl files at runtime. You learn how to edit the *.edmx file manually to accommodate modifications that the graphic EDM Designer can't handle. You learn how to implement the Table-per-Hierarchy (TPH) inheritance model and traverse the MetadataWorkspace to obtain property values. Four C# and VB sample projects demonstrate mapping, substituting stored procedures for queries, and TPH inheritance.
"Introducing Entity SQL," examines EF's new eSQL dialect that adds keywords to address the differences between querying entities and relational tables. You learn to use Zlatko Michaelov's eBlast utility to write and analyze eSQL queries, then dig into differences between eSQL and T-SQL SELECT queries. (eSQL v1 doesn't support INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE and ...

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Silverlight 2 Unleashed Review

Silverlight 2 Unleashed
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Silverlight 2 Unleashed ReviewI'm a developer who is intimiately familiar with C# and the .NET platform in general. I've also been playing with Silverlight 1.1-2 betas/rc's and was hoping that this book would fill in the gaps that I'd gotten through just playing with it.
But in general, the book seems to be pitched toward a less technical audience- for example, he spends a paragraph telling us how to comment out XML, another area explains how to install Expression Blend, page 68 explains to us why we've got F's in our numbers (it's hex, duh), the diff between raster and vector graphics (this was necessary?)
Chapter -8- finally gets us into some code, and it's JavaScript- but the whole point of V2 was to get us out of JS and let us use other langs for more complex apps than just adding Flash-like abilities to our .NET sites.
Even THEN, we get told that, "JavaScript ... and other C-based languages are case sensitive!", and apparently (in the next para), "...JavaScript uses -variables- (text has it in italics) to store data." Oh my!
Chapter -9- is "Understanding .NET" and finally gets into VStudio.
At page 488, you get 10 pages on calling WCF servers.
If you're a .NET developer with some familiarity with WPF/XAML and a little WCF, you're probably better off waiting for other books. This should have really been called something similar to "Beginning Silverlight 2, mostly with Javascript".
If there were any other reasonable books specifically on 2.0, I'd send it back, but there aren't yet.Silverlight 2 Unleashed OverviewFull Color Code samples appear as they do in Visual Studio and Expression Blend!Printed entirely in color, with helpful figures and syntax coloring to make code samples appear as they do in Visual Studio and Expression Blend!Silverlight is Microsoft's new web-based User Interface (UI) technology, based on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), which is introducing many revolutionary concepts in the world of UI development. Silverlight uses XAML, with tools like Expression Design and Expression Blend, to create astonishing UI effects (such as gradients, compositions, and animations.) In addition to the richness of the UI elements, Silverlight 2 allows the use of C# or VB in addition to JavaScript to automate web pages. With Silverlight, you have the power of .NET on multiple platforms (IE and Firefox on Windows, Firefox and Safari on Macintosh, and Firefox on Linux). The author brings you up to speed very quickly with numerous hands-on examples.Use XAML to create state-of-the-art user interfaces Create XAML transforms and animations Design compelling user experiences with Microsoft Expression Blend Integrate media into your rich Internet applications Program Silverlight with both JavaScript and .NET languages Deploy Silverlight content to web pages Encode videos with Expression Media Encoder Make the most of Silverlight elements, resources, and styles Use templates to quickly change your application's look and feel Efficiently debug Silverlight code Use design tools to create graphics that import seamlessly into SilverlightLaurent Bugnion has been a software engineer since 1996. He has worked with many programming languages and environments, including C, C++, Java, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and, since 2002, the Microsoft .NET platform. He has been honored twice as a Microsoft MVP: first for ASP.NET and now for Client Application Development. He blogs about Silverlight and related technologies at http://blog.galasoft.ch.ON THE WEB:Download all examples and source code presented in this book from informit.com/title/9780672330148Category:Microsoft Programming/Web Programming Covers:Microsoft® Silverlight 2User Level:Beginning—Intermediate

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Professional ASP.NET 3.5 Security, Membership, and Role Management with C# and VB (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review

Professional ASP.NET 3.5 Security, Membership, and Role Management with C# and VB (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)
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Professional ASP.NET 3.5 Security, Membership, and Role Management with C# and VB (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) ReviewThe author clearly understands this technology space, I have no complaints with his expertise. And I gained some useful information here and there.
However I found that book to be very dense and overall the book did not feel well edited. Each chapter does a deep dive into the technology, but the information is hard to parse through. The author embeds a lot of reference assembly names and configuration references within the written paragraphs, making it harder to absorb the information.
Perhaps my expectations were wrong. I was hoping for a book that made me feel like a practical expert who could jump straight into a project after reading the book. Instead I felt that the book was more academic treatise than practical manual. I felt like I had been imparted a lot of deep technical information. But I was left with little practical to show for it.
I am giving this book 3 starts because of the author's clear and obvious expertise with the subject matter, and the fact that I did get some useful information here that I could not find elsewhere. But I felt I had to work very hard to get to it.Professional ASP.NET 3.5 Security, Membership, and Role Management with C# and VB (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) OverviewAs the only book to address ASP.NET 3.5, AJAX, and IIS 7 security from the developer's point of view, this book begins with a look at the new features of IIS 7.0 and then goes on to focus on IIS 7.0 and ASP.NET 3.5 integration. You'll walk through a detailed explanation of the request life cycle for an ASP.NET application running on IIS 7.0 under the classic mode, from the moment it enters IIS 7.0 until ASP.NET generates a corresponding response.

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Professional C# 4.0 and .NET 4 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) Review

Professional C# 4.0 and .NET 4 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)
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Professional C# 4.0 and .NET 4 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) ReviewC# and .NET are reintroduced in this one book for the 2010 audience of programmers. The two subjects are wedded in the text to form one complete reference. I have just finished reading this book and I can tell you that it will take another two readings to fully absorb the contents because of the numerous details. At just over 1400 pages, this is a compendium of the two programming areas that has enormous scope. I am impressed that the authors and the publisher were able to complete this project before the release of the two in April. Operations specific to the .NET v4 release are noted in the text.
I found the information in this book to be comprehensive and detailed in many ways. With 47 chapters and an appendix this book is going to be the cornerstone of my .NET computing from this time on. My previous references are getting dated and don't give me enough information to pass the employment interviews. This book and one other are going to be my entire reference library for C# programming in general.
I found the information to be very well written to the point that even after six years of using C# it increased my knowledge and understanding of this wonderful new computer language. I have over a dozen books on .NET and C# in my library and this is the best written of them all. For this reason I am giving it 5 stars. I believe that this is the best introduction to these two subject areas
Of course, if you want to work in depth on one of the chapters covered in this book, another reference that expands on the material will be required.Professional C# 4.0 and .NET 4 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) OverviewThis book starts by reviewing the overall architecture of .NET in order to give you the background you need to be able to write managed code. After that, the book is divided into a number of sections that cover both the C# language and its application in a variety of areas.
Part I: The C# Language: This section gives a good grounding in the C# language itself. This section doesn't presume knowledge of any particular language, although it does assume you are an experienced programmer. You start by looking at C's basic syntax and data types, and then explore the object-oriented features of C# before moving on to look at more advanced C# programming topics. Objects, types, inheritance, generics, arrays, tuples, operators, casts, delegates, lambdas, events, strings, regular expressions, collections, Language Integrated, Query (LINQ), Dynamic Language Extensions, memory management, pointers, reflection, errors, and exception are all covered in part 1.
Part II: Visual Studio: This section looks at the main IDE utilized by C# developers worldwide: Visual Studio 2010. The two chapters in this section look at the best way to use the tool to build applications based on the .NET Framework 4. In addition, this section also focuses on the deployment of your projects.
Part III: Foundation: In this section, you look at the principles of programming in the .NET environment. In particular, you look at assemblies, instrumentation, security, threading, tasks, synchronization, localization, System.Transactions, networking, interop, XAML, Managed Extensibility Framework, Manipulating Files and the Registry, transactions, how to build Windows services, and how to generate your own libraries as assemblies, among other topics.
Part IV: Data: Here, you look at accessing databases with ADO.NET, ADO.NET Entity Framework, data services. This part also extensively covers support in .NET for XML and on the Windows operating system side, and the .NET features of SQL Server 2008.
Part V: Presentation: This section shows how to build applications based upon the Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight, and covers writing components that will run on web sites, serving up web pages. It also has coverage on building classic Windows applications, which are called Windows Forms in .NET. Windows Forms are the thick-client version of applications, and using .NET to build these types of applications is a quick and easy way of accomplishing this task. Finally, it includes coverage of the tremendous number of features that ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC, and ASP.Net Dynamic Data provide.
Part VI: Communication: This section is all about communication. It covers services for platform-independent communication using the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). With Message Queuing, asynchronous disconnected communication is shown. This section looks at utilizing the Windows Workflow Foundation 4, as well as peer to peer networking, and creating syndication feeds.
The book closes with an appendix covering Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 development.
Online Chapters: Even with such a large book, we can't fit in everything we'd like to tell you about C# and using this language with other .NET technologies, so we've made ten additional chapters available online at wrox.com. These chapters include information on a variety of topics: GDI+, which is a technology that is used for building applications that include advanced graphics; .Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO); NET Remoting for communication between .NET clients and servers; Enterprise Services for the services in the background; web services with ASP.NET, LINQ to SQL, Windows Workflow Foundation 3.0, and the Managed Add-In Framework (MAF). It also includes examples showing .NET 4 in others supported languages including Visual Basic, C++/CLI, and F#.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 (Windows.Net) Review

Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 (Windows.Net)
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Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 (Windows.Net) ReviewPro ASP.net 3.5: This book is a must to have book for anyone who is starting/ switching their careers to developing web applications using asp.net technologies. The authors Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta, has done a very good job of covering all sections that are useful for beginners as well as middle level developers.
For example, if you are seeing Visual Studio for the first time in your life, they dedicated a whole chapter on how to use visual studio. The reason I brought up this point is they kept the beginners in mind and they didn't leave any assumptions that the reader already know how to use Visual Studio.
At the same time for those middle level developers who wants to dive into newly released hot technologies like Ajax, LINQ and Silverlight you won't be disappointed. They have dedicated individual chapters for each of those topics. As I have been developing asp.net application from last several years, I opened this book to see what I can read about Linq and Silverlight. I enjoyed those chapters as they give you an introduction and a good kick start. I am surprised that the authors also dedicated a whole chapter for website deployment (Chapter 18) where the architectures of IIS 5.0, 6.0 and then 7.0 is explained. That is awesome that they have discussed installation of IIS 7.0 and explained the architecture as well as the new Configuration model of IIS 7.0. Everything is explained with the help of screen shots.
Of course I took for granted for all those core concepts of asp.net like developing Http Handlers, Http Modules, Customer Server controls, Custom Membership and profile providers, Security. They are all covered and are very well explained in individual chapters.
Given the broadness of the subject, the authors done a great job of covering all areas in depth methodically that way you won't be lost.
I enjoyed this book so much that I would definitely recommend this book to any .Net Web Developer and this book is going to take some space on my desk.
Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 (Windows.Net) Overview
ASP.NET 3.5 isMicrosoft's revolutionary ASP.NET technology. It is the principal standard for creating dynamic web pages on the Windows platform. Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008 raises the bar for high–quality, practical advice on learning and deploying Microsoft's dynamic web solution.

Seasoned .NET professionals Matthew MacDonald and Mario Szpuszta explain how you can get the most from this groundbreaking technology. They cover ASP.NET 3.5 as a whole, illustrating both the brand–new features and the functionality carried over from previous versions of ASP. This book will give you the knowledge you need to code real ASP.NET 3.5 applications in the best possible style.


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Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step Review

Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step
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Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step ReviewI'm not new to the visual basic language (I've done some work with VBA) but I was new to visual studio. I just have to say that this book is very easy to follow, it's very detailed, and it's a great place to start learning the language and the use of the IDE.
The author guides the reader in a very easy to follow style of writing. He also goes into detail to make sure that you understand what it is that he either wants you to do or wants you to understand. He also makes no assumption regarding your skill level and basically writes so that anyone can understand.
The only thing that I wasn't crazy about was that he sometimes repeats the same things over and over in every chapter. For example, "If the form is not visible when you load it, click on it in the Solutions box to make it visible." He'll say that for every project that you open. I guess it's ok because these little things really get pounded into your brain, but I found it just a little annoying.
Finally, he does demonstrate a lot of new features in Visual Studio 2008, so the book is great even for experienced users.
Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step OverviewTeach yourself the fundamentals of working with Visual Basic 2008 one step at a time. With STEP BY STEP, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you re a beginning programmer or new to this specific language, you ll understand the core capabilities and fundamental techniques for Visual Basic 2008 and rapidly build robust, elegant applications. Each chapter puts you to work, showing you how, when, and why to use the latest features of Visual Basic guiding you each step of the way as you create actual components and working applications for Windows. You ll also explore data management and Web-based development topics. PLUS get practice files with sample code and data sets on the companion CD.
Key Book Benefits
Covers the latest enhancements and features of Visual Basic 2008
Provides step-by-step guidance on how to use Visual Basic 2008 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 to create smart-client and Web applications
Features easy-to-follow, logically planned lessons in the popular STEP BY STEP format ideal for anyone with fundamental programming skills
Includes a companion CD with data sets and code samples

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Accelerated Silverlight 3 (Books for Professionals by Professionals) Review

Accelerated Silverlight 3 (Books for Professionals by Professionals)
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Accelerated Silverlight 3 (Books for Professionals by Professionals) ReviewNone of the code works tht comes along with the book. Was not a good experience overall. Buy another good book. Save Money. Save time.Accelerated Silverlight 3 (Books for Professionals by Professionals) OverviewSilverlight 3 is a new web development technology from Microsoft that is already causing huge waves within the development community. It is the natural successor to Ajax and ASP.NET AJAX-style applications and provides a means for web-pages to provide the seamless and rich user experience that is currently only available from desktop-based applications.Building on the proven approach of Apress' Accelerated C# and Accelerated VB titles this book provides readers with a fast-track to mastering this technology by building on the skills that experienced .NET developers already have already acquired. In a tightly packed five-hundred pages readers will be shown everything they need to know to become proficient in Silverlight 3 development.

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Silverlight 3 Jumpstart Review

Silverlight 3 Jumpstart
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Silverlight 3 Jumpstart ReviewMaybe you've heard of this Silverlight thing. There've been 2,300 new Microsoft technologies introduced this year but Silverlight seems like it might be important. You are a busy, experienced business application developer with limited time. You demand substance but there's no way you're going to wade through 800 pages of how to build custom flashy controls. You won't tolerate marketecture; you don't want the "Silverlight Programmers Bible" either.
You should snag a copy of "Silverlight 3 Jumpstart" by Microsoft MVP and Regional Director David Yack. At a slim 209 pages you can blaze through it on a roundtrip flight to Redmond just like I did. You won't learn Silverlight in depth. But you will get a soup-to-nuts view of what building a business application in Silverlight is really like.
Let me be clear about my rating. It is 5 stars because this book does EXACTLY what it sets out to do and does that well. It is not the only Silverlight book you'll ever need. You may not want it at all; if you're going deep dive directly, you might prefer something else. But if you want to discover Silverlight in a weekend, this hits the mark.
All of the essential development mechanics are there.
- How Silverlight compares to alternative client technologies (ASP, WinForms, WPF, Flash/Flex/Air)

- Development tools - got Visual Studio? not much more is absolutely required
- "Hello, Silverlight" - of course
- Hosting a Silverlight app - pretty easy stuff
- Basic screen layout with XAML and visual controls
- Data binding controls to data - because that's our bread and butter
- Debugging - about time someone talked about that
- Making it look decent with styling - think CSS
- SketchFlow intro - executable sketches to win your client's confidence
- Plumbing (aka, Application Architecture) - so you don't reinvent every wheel
David is steadfast and clear about his purpose: to give you a firm grasp of what is involved in Silverlight development.
He shoves to the side everything that would get in the way. You already know it gets more complicated than "that" ... whatever "that" happens to be. "Rough road ahead" signs are sufficient for the nonce; no need for the bumpy ride right now.
When it comes to getting data into and out of your application, I'm personally thrilled to report that David devotes pages [181 - 184] to our "DevForce Silverlight" product; full disclosure: I helped him with those four pages. Nearby you can read about the other "Business Application Frameworks": CSLA, RIA Services, and roll-your-own.
Do yourself a huge favor: don't roll-your-own; I hope you see why when you look at all the challenging ground these "frameworks" cover.
The very nature of this book requires that it be early to market. It's not going to be a "timeless classic" nor is that its intention. This is one of the first ... if not the first ... Silverlight 3 books out there.
The haste shows. There are grammar and spelling mistakes. Chapter 10 was clearly intended to be Chapter 1 as it makes forward references to chapters that you've already read. That's mildly disappointing. Don't let this undermine your faith in the material; the book is accurate in all important respects relevant to your purpose: to learn what Silverlight development is like and whether it might be for you.
The book is affordably priced and an excellent value ... as long as you know why you are buying it. If your time is worth money and you're trying to get out of the blocks it will definitely save you many times the cost.
Silverlight is a tremendous business application delivery vehicle and a heck of a lot more productive than any other web technology out there. Silverlight Jumpstart will show you why.Silverlight 3 Jumpstart OverviewSilverlight brings to the table a number of unifying concepts that both web and desktop developers should find appealing to build business applications. The introduction of Silverlight 3 makes real the commitment toward Silverlight being much more than just a media player technology. Silverlight 3 introduces more business focused controls, more data and business logic connectivity as well as what could turn out to be the real Click Once" deployment experience. The hardest part of learning a new technology is navigating and finding all the right information to get up to speed quickly. The goal of this book is not to teach .NET programming basics. We figure that if you re reading this book you have had some experience doing .NET development. Most people who buy this book are looking for a quick way to get up to speed with Silverlight. More specifically we are going to focus on the parts of Silverlight that are useful for building business applications. This book is the introduction to building business applications with Silverlight. The goal of this book is simple; provide a quick way for an existing .NET developer to learn the basics of Silverlight. In this book, David Yack shares with readers the information he wishes he could have found in one place when he got started with Silverlight. The book is designed as a quick start learning guide focused on the essential parts of Silverlight a developer new to Silverlight should focus on first.

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Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Design: CSS, Themes, and Master Pages (Programmer to Programmer) Review

Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Design: CSS, Themes, and Master Pages (Programmer to Programmer)
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Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Design: CSS, Themes, and Master Pages (Programmer to Programmer) ReviewLet me get the bad out of the way first, so I can tell you why I think you should still consider buying this book.
1. Spends a bit of time on superfluous issues. For some of you, this might be a godsend, however, as development is often more than just coding these days.
2. Some fairly long code samples that fluff up the book without adding a huge amount. One illustration of CSS versus tables would be sufficient.
3. Not a lot of highlighting in code to point you to the points that have changed.
4. Some of the explanations are thin for those without a lot of experience in this particular topic.
Now that I got that out of the way, let's look at why this book should be a welcome addition to your shelf.
Reason 1 is it is the only book that focuses on this particular topic. Reason 2 is this topic is extremely important, although more often overlooked.
If you have an ugly, unusable personal site, it is not a big deal, as your mom will still visit. But, with business, it can be devastating. And, now, with accessibility lawsuits, it can be costly, as well.
Let's start from the beginning (a very good place to start, I hear).
The first few chapters are a bit of overview and express the importance of things like CSS, accessibility and good web design. None of these will make you an expert, but they will likely push those of you still in table design over to the dark side (CSS). The arguments for accessibility, including information about recent legal actions against websites, may be the kicker. Chapter 3 also focuses on using PhotoShop for designing a nice looking site. Some of the techniques will not apply to other image manipulation tools, but the basic ideas are useful for all.
Chapters 4 and 5 focus on CSS. In particular, chapter 4 talks about setting up a site that appears "tabled" in CSS and chapter 5 gives you a great overview, and some practical advise, about the CSS Friendly ASP.NET controls.
Chapter 6 talks about navigation and gives great practial advise on the web.sitemap file. This chapter was a godsend to me, as it finally gave me an epiphany on why roles were not working. This was actually a portion that fit #4 on my bad list, but sometimes seeing an example is enough to clue you in. :-)
Chapter 7 is focused on master pages. One of the biggest aids here will be the bits on design. The pages on passing information from master to child is also very useful.
Chapters 8 and 9 focus on themes. If you have a site that can be "skinned" different ways (by user or "site"), these chapters may well be worth the price of admission.
Finally, chapter 10. This is one of the best chapters in the book, as it brings all of what you have learned together. It shows how to use a single code base to work with a wide variety of browser targets, including mobile devices. And, unlike many books, it does it in a very practical, real world way.
There are also bonus appendices on Orcas (Visual Studio 2008) and Silverlight.
Summary: Overall, this is an average book. As the only book on the topic, however, it gets a slightly higher nod. As this is a topic I have tried to drill into people's heads (i.e., building a site is as much about user experience as making things work), I would like to see as many people pick up this book as possible. Someone might come out with a better one at some time, but learning this material is a wise thing.Professional ASP.NET 2.0 Design: CSS, Themes, and Master Pages (Programmer to Programmer) Overview

This book is for anyone who wants to learn about using .NET for web interface design. Beginner or hobbyist .NET developers can certainly get a good foundation of .NET web interface design by going through this book from cover to cover. However, more seasoned .NET professionals, especially if they tend to steer away from the GUI of their projects, can also pick up a thing or two by focusing on certain chapters that appeal to them. This book is meant to take a reader from the beginning of a project to the completion of the interface design. Along the way, concepts are illustrated to show how the different pieces play together. So, anyone who really wants to understand the concepts presented in this book will be able to do so by reading the entire thing. However, this book should also serve as a good reference after you have read it or, in some cases, in place of reading it.
All of the early chapters provide useful information and examples for any web developer. Many of the concepts presented after Chapter 4 are more specifically targeted at .NET developers. In the later chapters, the target audience is .NET developers or, at least, people who want to become .NET developers. In those chapters, you should probably have at least a basic understanding of the .NET Framework and some experience with Visual Studio 2005 (or possibly Visual Studio 2003). If you are completely new to .NET, you may find it useful to pick up a beginning ASP.NET 2.0 book before delving too deeply into those chapters. If you want to learn about .NET 2.0 web interface design, you are the intended audience.
It should be noted that all of the .NET code samples in this book are in C#. However, this shouldn't limit other developers, such as VB.NET developers, from understanding the concepts or being able to replicate the code in their own projects. The actual managed code examples are pretty limited and, when they are used, they should be fairly easy to port over to VB.NET.
This book covers the concepts serious developers need to begin designing cool and consistent web layouts. The early chapters focus on general web design standards that you need to grasp in order to move into the later chapters. Specifically, these concepts are:

Basic web design considerations (colors, fonts, images, accessibility, and so on) (Chapter 2)

Photoshop basics to get you started making your own graphics and color schemes (Chapter 3)

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and their use in web design layout (Chapter 4)

When you finish these chapters, you will have the basic shell for the project that you will continue to develop throughout the book. You will have the header graphic, color scheme, and CSS layout that you will begin to incorporate .NET-specific concepts to in the later chapters. This includes:

How to make .NET controls render accessible CSS code rather than their default: tables (Chapter 5)

Using the built-in controls of .NET to create easily maintainable and consistent site navigation (and how to make them render CSS divs instead of tables) (Chapter 6)

Creating your web site template with Master Pages (Chapter 7)

Creating themes and skins to style your .NET controls (Chapter 8)

Applying themes to your projects through various approaches, including base classing (Chapter 9)

The final "regular" chapter ends with you building an entirely new mobile device theme using all of the concepts learned in the previous chapters. In Chapter 10, you will start with modifying your graphic to better fit the resolution of your mobile devices. You will also learn how to modify your stylesheets and apply them programmatically to be used only for this theme. You will have a new Master Page and an entirely new theme. You will also see one way of switching themes based on your criteria (in this example, your criterion will be whether your client browser is a mobile device).
Beyond these chapters, you will get a "forward look" at some of the new technologies coming down the pipeline that affect these some of the material you learned in the preceding chapters. In Appendix A, you will get a glimpse at the upcoming release for Visual Studio, codenamed "Orcas." This will almost exclusively focus on the new CSS features because they are the most relevant to the other chapters of the book, and there are so many new features regarding CSS management in this release that they warrant their own chapter (nested Master Pages are also included, but CSS takes up most of the appendix).
Finally, with Appendix B, the Visual Studio Codename "Orcas" discussion is extended to include Microsoft Silverlight. You will learn how to create drawing object, incorporate images, animate your objects, and affect the rendered output through your managed code.
If you read this book from cover to cover, you should end up with a really solid understanding of the current technologies for .NET developers to create consistent and accessible web interfaces, as well as a feeling of excitement for the new stuff that should be coming soon to a computer near you.


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ASP.NET 3.5: A Beginner's Guide Review

ASP.NET 3.5: A Beginner's Guide
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ASP.NET 3.5: A Beginner's Guide ReviewI was familiar with ASP (the OLD version - pre ".NET") before reading this book, and I found this an extremely fast, clear, and useful way of bridging the gap to the new language and programming framework. I was literally able to breeze through the book in just a few days. I suspect there might be a bit more ramp-up time involved for someone without a pre-existing computer programming background, but anyone who already knows their way around a web programming language should do very well with this material. I'm a very satisfied customer.ASP.NET 3.5: A Beginner's Guide Overview
Essential ASP.NET 3.5 Skills--Made Easy!

Learn how to create database-driven ASP.NET 3.5 websites using C# 3.0. ASP.NET 3.5: A Beginner's Guide shows you just what you need to know to build rich Internet applications quickly and easily. You'll find details on Web controls, CSS, event handlers, validation, SQL, ADO.NET, data binding, text files, and security. Coverage of the latest technologies, such as LINQ and Ajax, is also included. All examples use Visual Studio 2008 to ease you through the learning process, and all the source code is displayed. Start building dynamic ASP.NET 3.5 Web applications today with help from this fast-paced tutorial.

Designed for Easy Learning:

Key Skills & Concepts--Lists of specific skills covered in the chapter

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Programming Microsoft® ASP.NET 2.0 Applications: Advanced Topics Review

Programming Microsoft® ASP.NET 2.0 Applications: Advanced Topics
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Programming Microsoft® ASP.NET 2.0 Applications: Advanced Topics ReviewDino Esposito's book, "Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0, Applications," is best described as a second volume of "Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0, Core Reference" (also Microsoft Press, 2006). Opposing industry trends in computer books, Microsoft Press does not publish a table of contents for potential readers. Unless readers can inspect a copy at a bookstore, as I did, they will have difficulty deciding whether the book has content useful to them.
The two volumes combined are about equal in coverage to "Professional ASP.NET 2.0" from Bill Evjen and four others (Wrox, 2006). Esposito's strategic emphasis is not as significant for the "Applications" volume as it was for the "Core Reference" volume. The second volume mainly covers additional class libraries, such as those for "web parts," that are more likely to be of use in commercial portals and sales sites than in professional, Web-enabled applications. However, it is in this "Applications" volume rather than in the "Core References" volume that Esposito presents such critical topics as the ASP.NET 2.0 resource, role and image management services and the tree and menu controls.
In Esposito's two volumes combined one gets about 1,550 pages at twice the price of about 1,250 pages from Evjen, et al. Besides about 300 more pages, what one gets in return for the extra cost is coverage of some extra topics, such as resources, and generally clearer and more consistent descriptions of ASP.NET 2.0, free from gushing enthusiasms. Esposito also provides tables of properties and methods for the major classes. The items in these tables are the same as those in Microsoft's documentation, as furnished with the Visual Studio tools and available without charge on the Web, but often Esposito's explanations are both clearer and more detailed than Microsoft's opaque and perfunctory style.
Programming Microsoft® ASP.NET 2.0 Applications: Advanced Topics Overview
Discover how to:

Fine tune the ASP.NET runtime and control configuration settings
Build custom providers to replace or enhance native components
Develop rich applications with mobile controls, the site navigation API, GDI+, and other .NET Framework facilities
Use asynchronous pages, dynamic expressions, and page parse filters to enable complex application functions
Create custom Web Parts for personalized, portal-like Web sites
Define ASP.NET templates and work with the Repeater and DataList iterative controls
Develop and deploy user controls to partition and reuse common interface elements
Design custom data-bound controls

Get code samples on the Web


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MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Web Applications with Microsoft® Visual Basic® .NET and Microsoft Visual C#® .NET, Second Edition (Pro-Certification) Review

MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Web Applications with Microsoft® Visual Basic® .NET and Microsoft Visual C#® .NET, Second Edition (Pro-Certification)
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MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Web Applications with Microsoft® Visual Basic® .NET and Microsoft Visual C#® .NET, Second Edition (Pro-Certification) ReviewMicrosoft approaches certification exams the same way that the Educational Testing Service approaches SAT, GMAT and GRE college entrance exams.
ETS discourages people from using SAT preparation classes and books and, rather, encourages people to just work on their verbal and quantitative skills. They suggest that doing so is enough to do well on the exams. We all know better.
Microsoft takes the approach that, if you have a good mastery of the subject being tested then that is all you need to pass the certs. The Microsoft Self-Paced Training Kits (known as the "redbooks") do a reasonable job of teaching you the concepts of ASP.NET (and WinForms and the VB.NET/C# language and other tested topics), but they do a poor job of preparing you for the certs.
It's true that, if you review vocabulary words a lot and practice intermediate algebra and 10th grade geometry problems in the weeks preceding your SATs you may improve your score by 3 or 4%. But if you use that time to review sample test questions and analyze the structure and logic behind SAT questions using Princeton Review or Kaplan etc., then you will improve your score by considerably more than a few percentage points. The same goes for Microsoft certs. If you master the topic being tested (in this case, Web apps, ASP.NET), you may still pass the exam or, at least, slightly increase your score. But knowing the topic is not enough. You must know the exam, as well. This thinking goes against Microsoft's view of their own certification exams. Microsoft's thinking and point-of-view is reflected in their "redbooks."
Therefore, if all you want is to learn ASP.NET using either of the dialects of the VB.NET/C# language, then this book is OK (if a bit pricey compared to other "cert prep" books). But if you are looking for certification preparation (as opposed to just learning the topic), then a combination of one of the cert prep products such as TestKing or Transcender along with a book like Kalani (ISBN: 0789728222) is a much better approach. These tools will help you pass the exam. Kalani, in particualr, will help you master the topic AS WELL AS prepare you for the exam. TestKing and/or Transcender will give you practice with close-to-actual exam questions. No, they don't repeat real questions but they do give you examples of the TYPES of question to expect and give you practice with the nuances, languages and tricks that are part of the cert exam questions.
You can't pass the certs without understanding the topics (and I would never hire anyone who passed the exam by memorizing questions -- believe me, I can tell). But knowing the topics alone is usually not enough. The "redbooks" teach the concepts and prepare you for using the ASP.NET tools, but the "redbooks" do not prepare you for the exams.
If the books were cheaper (or if you can share with 2 or 3 friends), and your goal was just to learn how to program (but not necessarily pass a cert) then I would recommend this book for learning the topic. For cert preparation, however, use something else.MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Web Applications with Microsoft® Visual Basic® .NET and Microsoft Visual C#® .NET, Second Edition (Pro-Certification) Overview
Build real-world programming skills—and prepare for MCP Exams 70-305 and 70-315—with this official Microsoft study guide. Work at your own pace through the lessons and hands-on exercises to learn how to build Web applications using Visual Basic .NET and Visual C# .NET. Then extend your expertise through additional skill-building exercises. As you gain practical experience with essential Web development tasks, you're also preparing for MCAD or MCSD certification for Microsoft .NET.

Learn how to:

Use Microsoft ASP.NET to build Web Forms applications
Create user services, including user input, localization features, and online help
Access and modify data with Microsoft ADO.NET
Build and reuse custom Web controls
Manage application appearance and behavior with style sheets and XML
Configure security features for Web applications, including authentication and authorization
Test and debug coding errors
Deploy applications to your server or hosting service
Maintain and optimize applications

Your kit includes:

NEW—60-day evaluation version of Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET 2003 Professional Edition on DVD
Comprehensive self-paced study guide that maps to the objectives of the final exams
NEW—Expanded coverage on delegates, events, unmanaged code, COM, and installation programs, plus a new chapter on caching
NEW—150 challenging practice questions on CD. Test yourself by exam (70-305 or 70-315) or by individual objective(s). Choose the number of questions and timed or untimed mode. You get automated scoring and detailed explanation for both correct and incorrect answers.
NEW—20-question interactive game
NEW—300+ revised and tested code samples and labs for Visual C# .NET and Visual Basic .NET
Learn-by-doing exercises for skills you can apply to the job
Fully searchable eBook

A Note Regarding the CD or DVD

The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via O'Reilly Media's Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit O'Reilly's web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com.


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Programming Microsoft ASP.NET Review

Programming Microsoft  ASP.NET
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Programming Microsoft ASP.NET ReviewThis book is the perfect reference for any Intermediate/Advanced ASP.NET programmer. It may not be as helpful if you are a beginner because the coverage is too wide and too deep to keep the interest of a beginner. But it is a must-have as a desk reference when you get past the beginner stage.
We looked at many books on the general subject of .NET and the specific subjects of VB.NET, ASP.NET, and ADO.NET to learn how to successfully create Web Applications that users love. There are a lot of books out there on .NET that are more confusing than helpful. And most books - just touch the basics, don't give detailed explanations, or don't have sample code that works. There are a few exceptions and this book is one of them. It doesn't have any of the above mentioned problems.
What is most impressive about this book is the readability of the material. If you are interested in the details of how something works in ASP.NET, you will find that once you pick up this book and start reading it, it is difficult to put it down. The explanations are clear, concise, yet detailed and the different topics are all very neatly interconnected.
If your primary interest is in finding a book with code to modify for your own project situation, this is NOT the book. There are other excellent books for that purpose. 'ASP.NET Developer's Cookbook' by The ASP Alliance is one that we prefer(despite most claims, the code in this book does work after you find workarounds to Visual Studio .NET problems first).
The book being reviewed here can be best used for accomplishing the purpose of gaining a COMPLETE working knowledge of ASP.NET. It will obviously take many months of dedicated effort (at least 10-15 hours a week) to master this subject. And there isn't a better book in the market that is so effective in the long run. This is the preferred Desk Reference that all of us use at our company.
One more thing - doing a price comparison, we found that this book also offers the best value since it's priced around the same range as most ASP.NET books but covers the subject end to end while the others only addres a few topics. The high price of .NET books has been a disappointment to us especially due to their general low quality.
Enjoy this complete desk reference to programming in ASP.NET! You will really see the return in a few months.Programming Microsoft ASP.NET Overview
Advance your expertise with ASP.NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework-and build dynamic Web solutions that can run on any browser or mobile device. This guide expertly balances coverage of ASP.NET infrastructure with practical, hands-on examples you can modify for your own Web applications and services. As you examine ASP.NET infrastructure-including the HTTP runtime, standard and custom controls, configuration, and security issues-you'll learn techniques and best practices for building high-performance, effective, and functional solutions. Whether you're creating a dynamic portal application or a corporate intranet, this must-have reference demonstrates how to use ASP.NET to accelerate your productivity-and shave precious hours off your development time.

Discover how to:

Access data using ADO.NET
Master the DataGrid control to display, edit, and page through data
Program page forms to enable multiple forms and pop-up windows
Use ASP.NET mobile controls to write one application that can run on multiple devices
Write statefull session-based Web services
Reuse common UI elements across applications with Web Forms user controls
Use inheritance to modify existing ASP.NET controls for your own programs
Create data-bound and templated custom controls from scratch
Deliver dynamically generated images to the Web with GDI+
Learn state management techniques that help optimize scalability
Get best practices for writing attack-resistant code
Configure ASP.NET files for deployment and fine-tune application performance
Configure the HTTP pipeline to serve ASP.NET pages


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Pro Silverlight 3 in C# (Expert's Voice in Silverlight) Review

Pro Silverlight 3 in C# (Expert's Voice in Silverlight)
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Pro Silverlight 3 in C# (Expert's Voice in Silverlight) ReviewThis book is by far the best resource for Silverlight 3.0. In this version the author added a whopping 185 pages to the last edition. He added chapters on Data Controls, separated the Styles, Templates, and Custom Controls into two separate chapters name Styles and Behaviors, and Templates and Custom Controls, and added a new chapter on Navigation.
I have bought 3 other books on Silverlight 3, and put together they only contain about 1/8 of the value of this book (you can see which ones they are by Googling "Shiny Turds Books that do not Cut the Mustard").
It starts out with an introduction that covers the Visual Studio Silverlight environment. He then gives a short introduction to XAML. The introductions really help those who have no experience get rolling right away.
The author covers every out of the box element in detail (including the DataGrid control and a little on the DataForm control), and includes a nice reference for where the element can be found in the book. He also covers styles and templates, brushes and transforms, shapes and geometries, animation, and layout containers.
The book covers out-of-browser applications, assembly caching, networking, multithreading, isolated storage, browser integration, media and deep zoom, wcf services, the application model, and dependency properties and routed events.
One of the things I like best about the book is it includes a lot of references and material on the Silverlight Toolkit.
The book is very readable for those that like to read cover to cover, but it also makes a great reference.
The downloadable code is very usable and very complete.
This is a must have book for any developer working with Silverlight 3.0.
Pro Silverlight 3 in C# (Expert's Voice in Silverlight) OverviewSilverlight 3 is the latest iteration of Microsoft's cross-browser technology for creating rich user experiences on the web. Like its predecessor, Silverlight 2, it rides atop the .NET Framework for maximum ease of use and coding efficiency. The new technology carries forward much of the work that has been done before and augments it in many important respects, including support for H.264 video, major improvements to the graphics engine (including true 3D rendering) and much richer data-binding options for interfacing with other applications.This second edition of Pro Silverlight in C# carries forward the all the key features that have made the first edition an immediate success. Most notably the book presents all artwork, screenshots and code in full-colour; provides readers with a comprehensive theoretical grounding, and illustrates all concepts with an abundance of fully-worked practical examples.

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Silverlight 4 in Action Review

Silverlight 4 in Action
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Silverlight 4 in Action ReviewFinally someone has given Matthew MacDonald some competition when it comes to Silverlight books. This book is a great read.
The book starts with an introduction to Silverlight and XAML and then digs into the application model and browser integration.
Below are the book's chapters-
Introducing Silverlight
Core XAML
The application model and the plug-in
Integrating with the browser
Integrating with the desktop
Rendering, layout, and transforming
Panels
Human input
Text
Controls and UserControls
Binding
Data controls: DataGrid and DataForm
Input validation
Networking and communications
Navigation and dialogs
Structuring and testing with the MVVM/ViewModel pattern
WCF RIA Services
Graphics and effects
Printing
Displaying and capturing media
Working with bitmap images
Animation and behaviors
Resources, styles, and control templates
Creating panels and controls
The install experience and preloaders
There are also an appendix on how to install the database used throughout the book's examples.
The book does a great job introducing MVVM, RIA Services, and inversion of control. The MVVM chapter is one of the best resources I have come across for someone to learn about the pattern.
The threading coverage using SynchronizationContext is great. It is the first book I have seen use it instead of the Dispatcher.

The author's style of writing is clear and the book is an enjoyable read. If the author detours to a sidebar story, it is done in such a way that it adds enjoyment to the reading and value to the topic at hand. I have read a ton of books lately where I find that not to be the case. The sidebar stories are distracting and tend to annoy me. An example in this book is the beginning of the MVVM chapter when the author tells about his experience teaching the pattern. It set the stage for the chapter's logical flow.
The accompanying code is very well organized and usable. The author really did a good job of breaking the code down per Listing allowing you to open the examples at different stages instead of just the end result.
The only thing I would have like to have seen more material on Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF).
A very cool thing is that you get with your purchase is a free ebook with your purchase. Not a 45 day trail to view it online, an actual downloadable ebook, which is great for finding all the places a given topic is covered, and fast.

All in all I highly recommend this book to anyone doing Silverlight development. It is a must have addition to any Silverlight developer's book shelf.Silverlight 4 in Action Overview

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Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX (Programmer to Programmer) Review

Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX (Programmer to Programmer)
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Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX (Programmer to Programmer) ReviewI bought this book based on a long, positive history with WROX products. I've got a whole shelf full of these volumes on various topics and they've historically been the best in the business.
Not so with this volume. These guys are obviously uberdorks who got an A in Computer Science and a C- in Language Arts. The writing is scattered, clunky, and generally subpar, making it very difficult to decipher portions of the book - let alone learn any programming disciplines from it. (In that regard, the editor(s) and proofreader of the volume also deserved to be flogged with a wet noodle.)
I expect a far more professional approach and delivery than this book provides. I'll struggle through it and learn the material, but it shouldn't be this difficult... The time of technical training manuals being written by eggheads with no affinity for interpersonal communication passed twenty years ago. Shame on WROX for releasing this volume in such disarray.Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX (Programmer to Programmer) Overview
Written by a high-power team of Microsoft MVPs, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the ASP.NET AJAX features
After a quick overview of the architecture and features of ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX, coverage then goes on to show developers how to build richer, more responsive dynamic Web sites and Web applications
Dives into such topics as ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX user interface design issues, JavaScript enhancements with AJAX, how to use the UpdatePanel for implementing server-side controls, and XML scripting in AJAX
Also offers an outline of the ASP.NET 2.0 AJAXControl Toolkit, and discusses implementing drag and drop functions, databinding, debugging and security, ASP.NET services, and bridging and gadgets
The companion Web site provides readers with a rich set of code examples


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Learning WCF: A Hands-on Guide Review

Learning WCF: A Hands-on Guide
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Learning WCF: A Hands-on Guide ReviewYou may want to acquire various other WCF books for depth, but if you're just getting started with WCF, this is the book you want. There isn't another book out there that compares to it. It's cleanly written and nicely balances conceptual material on service orientation with the practicalities of Windows Communication Foundation.
Many other books on WCF take the form of a "brain dump" on WCF features, or get bogged down in conceptual discussion of Service Oriented Architecture. Instead, Ms. Bustamante has a very clear, logical path from simple WCF features to more complex. You won't be overwhelmed early, but you will eventually get to most of the advanced features you'll likely need. Other books, such as Juval Lowy's Programming WCF Services (Programming), can pick up at that point for the really advanced topics.
Many of the chapters contain step-by-step labs, and you can get working end results from the author's web site. They start easy and build nicely through more complex concepts.
The sample code in the book is in C#, but if you happen to be a Visual Basic developer (as I am), you're not left out. Many of the labs and samples are also available in VB on the author's web site.
The book was unfortunately published too early to include definite coverage of the Visual Studio 2008 features for automatically generating some of the code you need to use WCF. Those capabilities are in the Visual Studio 2008 beta now and will be released in the next few months. Some of the labs could have been simplified by using those Visual Studio features. But, on the positive side, working through the labs in more detail will give you a more in-depth understanding of the subject and enable you to use the Visual Studio features more effectively.Learning WCF: A Hands-on Guide Overview
This easy-to-use introduction to Microsoft Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is ideal for developers who want to learn to build services on a company network or as part of an enterprise system. Built into Windows Vista and Longhorn, and available for Windows XP and Windows 2003, WCF provides a platform for service-oriented architecture (SOA) that enables secure and reliable communication among systems within an organization or across the Internet. With WCF, software developers can focus on their business applications and not the plumbing required to connect them. Furthermore, with WCF developers can learn a single programming API to achieve results previously provided by ASMX, Enterprise Services and .NET Remoting. Learning WCF removes the complexity of using this platform by providing detailed answers, explanations and code samples for the most common questions asked by software developers. Windows Communication Foundation (or WCF, formerly code name "Indigo") provides a set of programming APIs that make it easy to build and consume secure, reliable, and transacted services. This platform removes the need for developers to learn different technologies such as ASMX, Enterprise Services and .NET Remoting, to distribute system functionality on a corporate network or over the Internet. The first truly service-oriented platform, WCF provides innovations that decouple service design and development from deployment and distribution - creating a more flexible and agile environment. WCF also encapsulates all of the latest web service standards for addressing, security, reliability and more.


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Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 Review

Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5
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Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 ReviewFrom the opening and throughout this book, it seems obvious that this is a hasty retread of a previous ASP.NET 2.0 edition. Most tellingly, there are numerous explanations of the way that ASP.NET 2.0 improved on such-and-such a feature of ASP.NET 1.0 or 1.1, which seem of little relevance to those looking to upgrade themselves to the latest ASP.NET. Other material and examples also seem written for an earlier time.
The meat for upgrading programmers is not only somewhat obscured in the clutter of old stuff, but is very thinly sliced when found. For example, one of my principle objectives in buying the book was to understand LINQ better, but the chapter on LINQ offers little more than a summary of the LINQ notes freely available on Microsoft's web site.
On the plus side, as owner of other books by Dino Esposito I notice that his writing gets better with every book, and he is now among the most adept of authors at clearly explaining many topics. For someone new to ASP.NET, this book can be considered seriously, but a better book exists (see my reviews).Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 Overview

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Inside Windows Communication Foundation (Pro Developer) Review

Inside Windows  Communication Foundation (Pro Developer)
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Inside Windows Communication Foundation (Pro Developer) ReviewWhile the author definitely has a command of the subject matter, this is perhaps the book's downfall. The book is written as less of a learning aide and as more of a reference to WCF. After reading it, I would say the target audience is an experienced SOA developer migrating over to WCF.
While I think it is a little better than MSDN, it is definitely not a casual read. SOA / Distributed-app beginners beware: if you are wanting a quick guide to getting things started in WCF, this is NOT the book for you. Experienced developers in distributed or SOA technologies might want to take a look at this book, however.
If it were a book about flying airplanes, the subject matter would discuss the minutia of avionics, flight control systems, and instrumentation; but provide very little about flight procedures.
I gave it 4 stars because it is definitely a solid book, but for the appropriate reader. If you have experience with SOA, then it is worth your time. If not, look elsewhere first and make this your 2nd or 3rd book on the subject.Inside Windows Communication Foundation (Pro Developer) Overview
Dig into Windows Communication Foundation internals-and uncover the power of service-oriented design. This practical guide delivers in-depth insights and plenty of code samples to help you master the intricacies of developing and implementing connected applications.

Discover how to:

Use service-oriented concepts to build a reliable messaging infrastructure
Build support for ever-evolving messaging transports, protocols, and functionality
Develop and listen on multiple endpoints
Add messaging functionality with message exchange patterns, topologies, and choreographies
Serialize, deserialize, encode, and decode Message objects
Generate industry-standard documents with service, data, and message contracts
Build stacks of channel factory and listener objects with binding types
Develop channel layer constructs and manage them over their lifetime
Create custom channels with the Windows Communication Foundation API

PLUS-Get Microsoft Visual C# code samples on the Web


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Pro Scalable .NET 2.0 Application Designs (Expert's Voice in .NET) Review

Pro Scalable .NET 2.0 Application Designs (Expert's Voice in .NET)
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Pro Scalable .NET 2.0 Application Designs (Expert's Voice in .NET) ReviewThe book sets some ambitious goals for itself, to teach anyone involved with the technical process what they need to know about .NET development. The book does indeed cover a wide range of .NET topics organized from the outside starting with coverage of complete application architecture including EAI with other systems, and them moving in towards the operating system, the web server, the development architecture and SQL. All of these topics are covered at a white paper level. In fact, the whole book reads and feels like one large white paper.
So, on the up side it's a very good high level introduction to all of the concepts involved with .NET development of web applications. It's well written, although it could use some editing, and the concepts are explained well.
One the down side, the book really does feel like an extended white paper. The topics aren't covered with enough depth to satisfy engineers so this book is probably best for architects and managers who want a high-level introduction to .NET. It's pretty buzzword heavy, for example in chapter four the coverage of workarounds around limitations in the operating system is called 'best practices'. Don't expect any coverage of systems other than Microsoft or comparisons to alternative systems.
The interesting chapters:
Chapter one covers EAI, content management systems and UML, which is an interesting place to start. The coverage is brief but well done.
Chapter two covers the various windows services. This is a good introduction to the topic.
Chapter three covers windows clustering and is one of the best chapters in the book, clean, concise and well written.
Chapter five is the heart of the book. It's a super long chapter that covers everything about web application architecture in .NET including design patterns and coding standards. Both the design patterns and coding standards section could have been in appendices. I'm not sure the design patterns was worth covering at the depth that it was.
Chapter six is about web services and it's a fine chapter that runs a bit long. Still, it's one of the best chapters in the book.
Chapters seven, about IIS, and eight, about SQL, would have been better a little longer and more detailed. The SQL chapter could have mentioned some use of alternative database servers.
Chapter nine, which covers and example application, probably should have been in the beginning with the rest of the book covering the example in greater depth.Pro Scalable .NET 2.0 Application Designs (Expert's Voice in .NET) OverviewBuilding an enterprise application is not an easy task. If your initial design is poor you stand a high risk of your project either being crippled by inherent instabilities or failing outright. This poor design might not be noticed at once, but as time progresses there is a good chance that both performance and extensibility issues will begin to emerge. These issues can be costly to address and are often hard to completely correct once your application has been released. To avoid these problems IT architects and system designers need to have a thorough knowledge of the skills and techniques outlined in this book.In these pages we give you the benefit of our extensive experience designing enterprise applications. With the growth of Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) the way we conceive and construct enterprise systems has changed in recent years. SOA has provided an evolving model for building distributed applications built on loosely coupled components exchanging SOAP/XML messages. This model - and the issues surrounding when and when not to use it - provides the focus of this text. This book details the best practices and proven design patterns to follow when creating enterprise applications. No matter what purpose your finished application may serve there are key considerations that you will need to take into account and basic rules you will need to follow in order for your application to operate successfully. It is these rules, patterns and considerations that we deal with in this book. We conclude the book by considering the different database storage designs and SQL Server options that you can put into place to compliment your application code. Finally we include a fully-worked example application to demonstrate all of the concepts we have discussed.

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