general

I have read through a large number of books on the .NET Framework, most of them using C# rather than VB.NET. Although I prefer to program in C# rather than VB.NET, this book is absolutely the BEST book on the .NET Framework.

Francesco Balena's treatment of the .NET Framework is extremely thorough and comprehensive. In addition, I love Francesco Balena's prose and writing style. He writes and explains the concepts so clearly. He also supplies lots of excellent coding examples to illustrate his points.

If you are looking for a definitive and comprehensive explanation of the .NET Framework, with plenty of coding examples, look no further. This is THE book.

Although I program in C#, this is my GO-TO book when I need a thorough explanation from the ground up on most subjects within the .NET Framework. Much better than any C# book I have read.

I have only 2 criticisms of this book.

1. Francesco Balena, when are you going to re-write this book in C#?

2. This is one heavy weight volume with almost 1600 pages. Due to a combination of its huge size, and it heavy use in my library as I keep referring to it for answers, the binding is starting to fall apart. The publisher should consider either heavier binding or putting it into 2 volumes.

Francesco Balena, thank you for such clear and outstanding explanations of the .NET Framework!

Tony Lin
Fremont, CA

Programming Visual Basic .NET by Francesco Balena builds on the success of the author's previous programming book for Visual Basic 6. This huge 1600 page book provides the most complete coverage of Visual Basic .NET that I have seen.

This book isn't for beginner programmers who wish to learn Visual Basic .NET. It is aimed at experienced Visual Basic 6 developers who want to take full advantage of the new .NET Framework.

The book provides complete coverage of advanced new object-oriented features, the common language runtime, multithreaded programs, Windows Forms, GDI+ graphic programming, Windows Services, ADO.NET classes for databases, ASP.NET Web Forms, and XML Web Services. Also included are many advanced optimization techniques and tips for leveraging the power of the Visual Studio .NET environment. For those who love code examples, you won't be disappointed. The book is filled with short code examples that illustarte how each specific .NET feature works.

The software that accompanies the book includes a CD containing the project source code which demonstartes the concepts discussed in each chapter. Also available on the CD is the previous edition of this book in electronic form. In addition, the book includes a sixty day trial version of Visual Studio .NET on DVD.

Programming Visual Basic .NET has received alot of well deserved praise from the Visual Basic community. I found the book to be very thorough, concise, and well written. This is one book that all experienced Visual Basic developers must have by their side.

This is an excelent book. It helps me to obtain an in-depth knowledge of VB .Net, given that I am really new to VB. Most important of all, buying this book accidently leads me to a brief contact with the author. He is such a nice person whose attitude and behavior convinces me of his devotion to the readers and his products. You cannot expect a high-quality book from a person who is not so devoted to his work.

Since there are already so many comments on the content of the book, I hope my view from a personal perspective can help you choose this book as your gateway into VB .Net.