Cheap C# Weekend Crash Course (With CD-ROM) (Book) (Stephen Randy Davis) Price

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Customer Reviews of C# Weekend Crash Course (With CD-ROM)

basic material for console apps
If all you need is to learn C# *syntax* in a hurry this is a good book. That's all the book deals with, and therefore, it only has console (DOS-based) programs. <
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>The syntax it goes over is the basic stuff: data types, while/for loops, if statements, arrays. And creating classes, base classes, methods, and it introduces how C# implements inheritance and polymorphism. <
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>It does not teach anything out of the .NET Framework classes for Windows (forms, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, etc.). It is purely C# base code syntax. <
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>Starting at around Session 13, the book's editor started running out of gas. There was the occasional syntax error, grammar error, poorly worded explanation, or mis-matched examples. <
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>The examples are mediocre. The tone of the book simply presents a working program and picks it apart. It doesn't invite the reader to build the program him/herself, but to simply copy it out of the book or load it from the CD. The "Quiz" section at the end of each lesson usually asks really dumb questions like, "What is the most common of all looping constructs (see 'the for loop')?" There are rarely any exercises to actually write any programs that apply what was to be learned. <
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No Windows forms?
Stephen Davis, C# Weekend Crash Course (Hungry Minds Press, 2002)

A while back on one of the mailing lists to which I am subscribed, a chap popped up asking about books that cover programming console applications (you know, those things that when you run them, pop up in a command line box instead of running within Windows) in depth. My first reaction was "who on earth would want such a thing?" I still don't really know the answer to that, but if he's reading this, I recommend this book highly to him. Davis' whole book is devoted to console apps and DLLs.

And therein lies its major fault. In a programming world where, let's face it, the GUI has won the day (be it Windows, Xwindows, BeOS, Apple, what have you), a book that doesn't even mention the existence of programming graphical forms is painfully outdated, no matter how recently it was released. (The other C# book I'm reading right now was published the year previously, before Microsoft had even finished the C# visual form designer, and still manages to devote a chapter to Windows forms in C#!) The omission is unforgivable in a book on program design in the twenty-first century, even more so when the books covers Microsoft's .NET technology.

As for the program design itself, there's a decent amount to be learned here if you're trying to pick up C# after knowing another programming language. (As a longtime C++ programmer, I have no idea how total newbies will react; proceed at your own risk.) A few of the sections try to cram far too much into one thirty-minute session, especially towards the end (the Collections session is almost unreadable without a concordance of some sort; thankfully, I happened to be at the same portion of A Programmer's Guide to C# at the time, and it helped me figure things out without too much pain).

Probably worthwhile as an adjunct, but I can't see it being a primary reference guide for any serious programmer. ** ½

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Not Recommended
A one star rating is an overstatement of the value of this book. I believe the 15 hours is the time the author spent learning the language.

It is not of value to beginning or experienced programmers. It does not serve well as either a review or an introduction. The examples are poorly chosen, (banking account), poorly explained. The other examples are lacking in clarity.

Even when something that one knows well from other languages, such as the difference between ++i and i++ is mentioned - it is a mention without an example in a loop or a clear explanation.

Look elsewhere to get started in C++. 15 hours would be too long to spend with this book. This was my first look at a "Crash Course"...... it looks like a train wreck.