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Review by SQL-Server-Peformance.Com
Murach’s C# 2005
By Joel Murach
812 pages. Mike Murach & Associates. $52.50.
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Find out more about this book, or purchase it, from Amazon.com. |
C#!!!
I can’t stand it anymore. C# here, C# there, C# everywhere. The whole world seems to be talking only about C#, and, and what is probably even more significant, developing in C#. And I? I confess right here that I haven’t written a single line of C# code yet. Well, reading C# source code isn’t all that difficult with my background in VB, C++, and some Java. But I haven’t written a line myself. It seems as though this fact will sooner or later mean I won’t be able to join in a conversation anymore because almost all the new books about SQL Server seem to use C# as a .NET language. I have decided now to learn C#.
The C# Express version is quickly downloaded and installed. Suddenly I have to decide what to develop in C# as my first project. “Hello world,” the xxx millionth version? No, thanks! Although this is very easily done, I always failed to find some practical use in this exercise. No, the first project has to be “something better,” presumably something using a database. But at this point, I painfully realize that my client development knowledge has stagnated with Visual Studio 6.0.
The uncommon C# syntax along with the unknown .NET framework turns my first steps very quickly into a frustrating search in the online help and on the Internet. I need a book before I waste even more time senselessly without any result.
Of course, you can find books about C# like sand on the beach and the choice for a specific book is certainly very difficult, but at this point, it is an immense advantage to be in contact with many publishing houses. You get review copies, for which, under normal circumstances, you would have to pay much money. And so I remembered that there is indeed a book about C# somewhere in my ever-growing collection of books to be reviewed: “Murach’s C# 2005.”
The Murach books, I already know, have established a very positive impression and therefore my expectation toward this book were quite high. And the very first screen shot in the book confirms my opinion of Murach books. It is no “Hello world” clone, but a Windows form to calculate the future Value of an investment. Cool!
Table of Contents:
- An Introduction to Visual Studio.
- The C# Language Essentials.
- Object-Oriented Programming.
- Database Programming.
- Other Skills for C# Developers.
- Appendixes.
I believe this book is of interest to visitors of SQL-Server-Performance.com because of its extensive coverage of database programming, which takes up about 200 pages. Naturally, almost any C# book offers some explanations about how to connect, use, and present data in a database with C#. But this book takes it one step further and also shows the advantages of a tiered-architecture. And it doesn’t leave the developer alone with some quickly presented examples about how to write some data access code in one’s presentational tier.
The soon-to-be C# adept can find a vast amount of information and knowledge, which is presented in the typical Murach paired pages style. So, you find not only information about C#, but also how to apply this information in real-world scenarios.
Meanwhile, I’ve become a great fan of Murach’s style of knowledge transfer. The books serve only one purpose: To get you going quickly and addressing those problems and questions that almost certainly will arise when working more closely in a topic. “Murach’s C# 2005” is a book that you use both to learn the topic and as a reference, which even developers versed in C# will refer to from time to time.
The complete source code of the book and two sample chapters can be downloaded from http://www.murach.com/books/csh5/index.htm. So, test it out yourself.
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