Programming .NET 3.5
| 2008-08-05 00:00:00 | | 0 | Introduction to .NET
.NET 3.5 will help you create better Windows applications, build Web Services that are more powerful, implement new Workflow projects and dramatically enhance the user's experience. But it does so with what appears to be a collection of disparate technologies. In Programming .NET 3.5, bestselling author Jesse Liberty and industry expert Alex Horovitz uncover the common threads that unite the .NET 3.5 technologies, so you can benefit from the best practices and architectural patterns baked into this newest generation of Microsoft frameworks. While single-topic .NET 3.5 books delve into Windows Presentation Foundation and the other frameworks in greater detail, Programming .NET 3.5 offers a `Grand Tour` of the release that describes how the four principal technologies can be used together, with Ajax, to build modern n-tier and service-oriented applications. Developers have struggled to implement these patterns with previous versions of the .NET Framework, but this hands-on guide uses real-world examples and fully annotated source code to demonstrate how .NET 3.5 can make it easy. The concepts and technologies that this book covers include:
XAML -- Microsoft's new XML-based markup language for UI, used with WPF Windows Presentation Foundation
(WPF) -- a new presentation framework and graphics subsystem for Windows that puts Vista-like effect in your grasp
Ajax Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) - a new standards-based framework that enables applications to communicate across a network using a variety of protocols Workflow Foundation (WF) -- framework for defining, executing, and managing workflows
CardSpace -- framework for managing the identities of your user You'll learn how to useeach of the four frameworks alone and in concert to build a series of meaningful example applications. Examples are written in C#, and all of the source code will be available for download at both the O'Reilly and the authors' site, which offers access to a free support forum. Between them, authors Jesse Liberty and Alex Horovitz have nearly forty years of experience in delivering commercial applications for companies such as Citibank, Apple, AT&T, NeXt, PBS, Ziff Davis, and dozens of smaller organizations. Their combined experience is valuable for telling the story of .NET 3.5 and how it will shorten the development life cycle for applications developers, and enhance your productivity.
User review
Quickly get an overview of .net 3.5 and C# 3 features
This book `only` has 450 pages, so it can only describe quickly the new features of .NET 3.5. And there are many new features in .NET 3.5 ! If you want an in depth, expert, coverage of the subject, choose a 1500-page-book, or a specialized book. Not this one.
But this book is really good if you want a quick overview of a subject. For example, you can get up to speed with LINQ in a couple of hours. Of course you won't know everything about the subject. You'll get the 20% of the knowledge that is needed in 80% of cases.
This book is also pleasant reading. Jesse Liberty knows how to teach that stuff.
User review
Too much of the wrong things, not enough of the right ones
I have about 5 years of .NET programming experience, limited to .NET 1.1 and 2.0. I bought this book thinking it would be a good `quick hit` to learn, in overview form, about all the new technologies introduced in the two latest revs of .NET; not looking for in-depth coverage of any one subject, just enough to give me my bearings and get me started.
One thing that emerges clearly from reading the book is, this was in fact the authors' intent. In the very first chapter, it says `Our goal is to show you the 25% that you will use 85% of the time,,. this may well be the only book you need to consult about those parts of .NET that are not central to your business.`
And indeed, the first chapter or two do provide a good description of the .NET 3.5 landscape: basically, there are a specific set of about 10 technologies that make up the bulk of what's new: XAML (a new form of UI markup that underlies WPF and Silverlight), Microsoft's take on AJAX, LINQ, WCF, Workflow Foundation and Cardspace.
From there, the book moves into a more specific treatment of each technology, and this is where it really wanders off into the woods, never to return. There is one principal reason for this: using examples the wrong way. Example is the book's central, if not only, teaching method, to the exclusion of necessary conceptual introduction, background, advance organization, and (often) even explanation of the examples themselves.
For instance, let's consider one major new concept-- the `lambda expression` from the chapter on LINQ. The example is shown (`customer => customer.FirstName == 'Donna'`), and then here is the explanation, in its entirety: `The lefthand operand, 'customer', is the input parameter, and the righthand operand is the lambda expression. In this case, it checks whether the customer's FirstName is 'Donna'.`
I had to go on-line to learn that a lambda expression is a new, compact way of creating a delegate for an anonymous method, and that these delegates are a major element in the LINQ extension methods, whose parameters generally take the form of `Func(T, TResult)`. (I also learned the meaning of `delegate`, `anonymous method`, and `Func(T, TResult)` from material on-line; to its credit, the book did go into some detail on what `extension methods` are.)
This mode of presentation was very typical-- leading off with an illustration in a vacuum, then following up with an insultingly oversimplified explanation. The section on AJAX was probably the worst.
As for an treatment of anything NOT specifically called for in the examples, forget it. I think the authors must be assuming that, in each case, their example (usually a two-screen application) will actually represent a direct analog to 85% of all usage for the new concept, and that nothing further is needed. Speaking for myself personally, I did not find that to be the case. I would have liked more explanation and less `Hello World`.
As a very poorly fleshed-out framework, this book had some value. As I went through it, I at least got enough exposure to know which concepts I would need to understand in order to begin working with .NET 3.5. However, I had hoped for a book that would then go on to actually provide me with such an understanding. In that respect, this book was a major disappointment.
User review
Definitely not worth the money
For programmers, this book has almost nothing in the first five chapters. Then the remaining chapters are exteremely superficial and barely passable. One star is the least I can give for this book. Go for Pro C# 2008 and the .NET 3.5 Platform (by Troelsen) from Apress if you really want to learn about the .NET 3.5 platform,,.it's worth every penny you invest in it,,.
User review
Jesse Liberty Hits Another Home Run!
If you are familiar with programming books you should make it well worth your while to get to know Jesse Liberty asap. He's an amazing writer that puts books out in warp speed time. Content is always good, writing is clear and concise and he is a joy to read. With 'Programming .NET 3.5', Mr. Liberty does it yet again. My only complaint with this book and a rare one that I make is that this book is TOO short. With only 14 chapters, this book needs more content, even with 450+ pages. Newer focus is on WPF, AJAX, Silverlight, LINQ, WCF and the like but some older content would be nice to have as well.
If you need to learn about .NET 3.5 you would be remiss not picking up this text to get up to speed and working right now. You get this book you will NOT be disappointed!!
McKinnon Overview
01. Into to .NET 3.5
02. XAML Inro
03. WPF Basics
04. Applying WPF
05. Introducing AJAX
06. Applying AJAX
07. Introducing Silverlight
08. Design Patterns with .NET 3.5
09. LINQ
10. WCF
11. Applying WCF
12. Introducing Windows Workflow Foundation
13. Applying WF
14. Applying CardSpace
***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
User review
A good intro to 3.5 technologies
With all the new stuff coming out from Microsoft these days, it is hard to keep up. That is why I picked up this book with coverage of all the new technologies: ASP.NET AJAX, Silverlight, WPF, WCF, WF, and LINQ (plus the new C# language features.) It is short and easy to read and gives you an overview of everything and how they fit together.
The introduction to WCF, WF, and LINQ are some of the best out there.
The authors also try to make the claim as to how .NET 3.5 is the first serious release that allows us to follow well formed design patterns. This was a good chapter in the middle of the book (would have been better at the end) and it was a good read, however, the examples were a little too complex than necessary or not realistic enough to portray the point. I fear that they may lose some readers with this chapter.
That said, this is still a great read and I recommend it if you want to learn all of the new technologies.