Sebastopol, CA--Whether or not Visual Basic programmers are making the move toward VB.NET and the .NET platform, there can be no question that they are looking the new VB over. So extensive are the changes in VB.NET, that some VB programmers have argued that it is an entirely new language, rather than a rewrite of the old. Streamlined, powerful, and modernized, the new VB.NET possesses many attractions. Unfortunately, the documentation accompanying it provides only the bare details for each language element, and not the inside information that programmers need to know. The second edition of VB.NET Language in a Nutshell (Roman, Petrusha & Lomax, O'Reilly, US $44.95) makes it much easier for developers to test-drive the language or gain mastery over it, whichever they decide. The new edition of the book includes a CD version of the book's reference section that programmers can install into Microsoft Visual Studio .NET's help, allowing developers to access in-depth information without interrupting their work
Says co-author Roman, "This book is a detailed, professional reference to the VB.NET language, a reference that you can turn to if you want to jog your memory about a particular language element or a particular parameter. It's also a reference that you can turn to when you're having difficulty programming and need to review the rules for using a certain language element, or when you want to check that there isn't some 'gotcha' you've overlooked."
"VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, Second Edition" provides complete documentation for the VB.NET language, including all of the new elements. Following a quick introduction, the first part of the book focuses on the important areas of programming VB.NET, including variables and data types, and introduction to object-oriented programming, .NET Framework general concepts, the .NET Framework Class Library, delegates and events, and error handling. The bulk of the book then consists of an alphabetical reference to the functions, statements, directives, objects, and object members that make up VB.NET. The new CD included with the book makes this reference material even more accessible to developers.
"We understand that programmers need reliable, detailed information that is easily available to them," explains Glen Gillmore, product manager for O'Reilly's .NET books. "Our goal is to make the quality information that people expect from O'Reilly & Associates accessible in the ways they want it: books, online, CD, conferences, and now directly integrated into the dynamic help of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET."
"The additional features in 'VB.NET Language in a Nutshell' provide a valuable resource to developers upgrading from Visual Basic 6.0," says David Lazar, group product manager for the Developer and Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft Corporation, "Microsoft is delighted that O'Reilly has dedicated resources to the success of Visual Studio .NET."
The Microsoft Visual Studio .NET dynamic help provides pointers to information specific to the area in which a programmer is working. The IDE tracks user content and filters through the topics available to display relevant information. With the installation of O'Reilly's "VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, Visual Studio .NET Edition, v1.0," programmers will have dynamic access to information that goes beyond the official documentation.
"VB.NET Language in a Nutshell, Second Edition" was written to serve as a main reference for VB6 programmers who are upgrading to Visual Basic .NET. The book will also be useful to developers who are new to Visual Basic, but who have been developing applications in other languages, such C++, and those who are learning VB.NET as their first language. Regardless of their level of expertise, developers will find this to be a valuable reference to assist in their understanding and mastery of the language.
What critics said about the first edition:
"If you are already an intermediate or advanced VB programmer wanting to keep up with Microsoft's evolving VB platform, this book is a handy reference you'll use many times, probably much more often than Microsoft's own documentation for VB.NET. I give this book five stars out of five.
--Mitch Tulloch, swynk.com, October 2001"Good intro, cuts to the chase on VB.NET features."
--Daniel W. Maltes, .NET Best Picks, amazon.com, November 2001
Online Resources:
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Examples of the "VB.NET Language in a Nutshell" Reference CD
More information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bios, and samples
VB.NET Language In a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
By Steven Roman, Ron Petrusha & Paul Lomax
ISBN 0-596-00308-0, 662 pages, $44.95 (US), $69.95 (CAN)
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