.NET Framework Essentials

Getting your head around the forthcoming .NET framework and development tools is something that can't be rushed. It's a monumental move forward for the traditional Visual Basic programmer, and the C++ programmers have to consider C# now. Not only that, it's a complete top to bottom deployment system that affects internal networks, extranets and Internet applications.

.NET Framework Essentials, from the renowned house of O'Reilly, is a concise guide to getting you up to speed on all the essential areas. It starts with an introduction to the architecture and an overview of programming with each of the major .NET languages (C#, VB.NET and Managed C++). It then explains how to create .NET components and how the CLS (Common Language Specification) and IL (Intermediate Language) work. Since database connectivity isn't optional, getting to grips with ADO.NET and its integration with XML is important, and so is given its own section. Finally, there are chapters on Web Services, Web Forms, SOAP, ASP.NET and other areas of plumbing that need to be covered to create a well-rounded .NET application. There are useful appendices too.

Given that the book is of a small form, the content is concise and assumes a reasonably high level of understanding. Someone coming from VB 6 would learn a great deal, and reading a volume like this is mandatory to get you started. There are reasonable code examples and good explanations. My only concern is that the book covers a huge subject area in a relatively small space. A VB programmer might find a VB-centric title more digestible, and someone who works in the depths of the OS in C may find it too lightweight. However, all programmers working in the Microsoft development space need to have a strong understanding of the fundamentals of this major shift in the programming model. Given that, this book is a good starting point. Buy it, but also find other titles more focused on your specific area of knowledge and need, and you'll have a good starting point.

Author: Jon Honeyball