BOOK REVIEW

ASP.NET Developer's Jumpstart

Addison-Wesley

Sheriff & Getz

ISBN 0672323575

 

Category

Rating

LEGEND:

5=Excellent

4=Good

3=Standard

2=Fair

1=Poor

 

Overall recommendation

5

Quality of organization

5

Easy to read and navigate

5

Sufficient quantity of examples

5

Examples are error free

5

Reuse for reference

4

Quality of index

4

 

Summary Review 

 Wish I Had This Book When I Stated Learning .NET

 

The authors take the approach of creating a single, non-trivial ASP.NET application over the course of the book, with each chapter building on the previous ones*.  There are numerous well-thought-out, hands-on coding examples and through them the authors cover the most important .NET, ASP.NET, and ADO.NET concepts and features. 

 

The book is divided into four parts: 

Part One is an introduction to the .NET Framework and classes, ASP.NET and working in VS.NET development environment.

Part Two has several chapters devoted to ADO.NET, Data Binding, and the DataGrid, Repeater and DataList controls.

Part Three covers Web Development techniques, Crystal Reports, Security, Mobile Web Apps and Deployement.

Part Four covers several aspects of Web Services.

 

The word "JumpStart" in the title is accurate - the book gets you up to speed in a short amount of time, allowing you to develop skills and knowledge and giving you a good foundation for further learning.  I made the move to .NET about seven months ago, occasionally banging my head in frustration along the way.  If I had had this book the process would have been smoother and much more enjoyable.

 

* There's finished code for each chapter available for download from the authors' website (thoughtfully packaged as an MSI file which makes install a breeze), allowing you to easily skip to later chapters.  The application can be coded against the SQL Northwind database or the Access/Jet version which is included in the download.  The book shows a tremendous amount of forethought; there are lots of time-saving tips and numerous "heads-ups" to guide you through potential problems. 

Detailed Comments 

      

 

Reviewer:

Lee Carter

Date:

11/22/02