Search in Book Reviews

With a title like this, it's not unreasonable to expect that a developer experienced in C++ or Java could learn about the differences fairly quickly and move on to more advanced topics to get a feel for the language. Instead page after tedious page details the "if" keyword or what inheritance is. The pretty diagram inside the back cover recommends novices read their introductory title first. I can't imagine how annoyed I'd be if I had.

To be fair, a Java programmer only really needs an A4 sheet with keyword and class replacement tables. The language was that badly ripped off that it would be hard to pad a thirteen hundred page book like this. This reviewer isn't a Microsoft Hater, but he is a Microsoft sycophant hater. Books like this give you the impression that before the .NET platform, we were all just grubbing around with registers.

There is some useful material contained and it appears to be well researched and checked, the problem is accessing it. Its torturous to read a book like this and the format makes it impossible to simply hunt down the information you need. The over use of bold type reminds me of revising college students that highlight every other sentence in their notes. Like somehow all of it will be remembered better.

My other major problem with this book and many like it is that it cannot separate C# from Visual Studio. This would be fine in a book with a different name but is just misleading here. A more cynical person might think the name was made up purely for product differentiation.