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C# Book Recommendations?
Stevecrox asks: "I'm in my final year of university and have a working knowledge of C/C++, Visual Basic, VHDL and a variety of Assembler languages, however chatting to a friend on his placement year I've been told that C# is what employers are really looking for. What book would you recommend to someone looking to learn C# with my experience?"
Just start screwing around. Build some stuff in it. Work on some open source stuff. You should be able to pick it up easily.
I wonder if I use bold in my signature, people will notice my posts.
Professional c# 2005 and the .net 2.0 platform by apress is excellent. Read it from cover to cover (about 1000 pages but very high quality book). It will cover the basics of C#. Also it exposes you to database access with c#, and covers both data readers and datasets from .net library. It also covers winforms and gdi+ programming. It gives you a taste of asp.net 2.0 also. If you buy 1 book, buy this one. I bought it and just lucked out. I spoke with several other people and this is the one book everyone seems to recommend.
Next up i'd look into beginning asp.net 2.0 with c# by wrox press if you are interested in web development. It is an example driven book. You read a little, then it walks you through doing something. It also has assignments at the end of the chapter to make sure you are getting it.
Continue with pro asp.net 2.0 with c# 2005 by apress. It will give you a deeper look into more advanced topics of asp.net.
I got this book around when C# was first introduced. I started from the same languages you name, and I've quite possibly never read a better book about a programming language (and API of course).
5 4
http://www.apress.com/book/bookDisplay.html?bID=4
(Actually, A programmer's introduction to PHP is also very good.)
If you are familiar with object-oriented programming, then I dont believe you need a book. MSDN C# language page should be all you need. If you insist on getting a book, I recommend Programming C# by Jessy Liberty for a tutorial.
CLR via C#
It skips over a lot of the hand holding that a "Learn Foo in X Days" book will give you but goes in to great detail about how the language is implemented, often giving examples of how C# code is compiled to IL assembly language and sometimes further giving examples of how it will be compiled by the JIT compiler into x86 assembly language.
I already knew C and C++, so I can't speak from a beginners point of view. Inside C# did the trick for me.
Around here, C# is a silly thing to ask a question about. As a side note, if you really want to learn C#, you can just go to M$'s website and poke around. There are piles of tutorials. I hate to say it, but I don't recommend "Learning C#" from O'Reilly. They're great on lots of other stuff, but that particular book was a good primer on the syntax of C# - which is surely important - and not that great a primer on the actual functionality of Visual Studio. The only great thing about Microsoft development is the tools you have to do it with. Taking full advantage of them is extremely important.
My little site.
Learn more C++. Not even Bjarne can claim to fully know C++!
Seriously though, make sure that any C# app you're expected to write is semi-trivial. Building an app that works _with_ Windows (as opposed to working _on_ Windows) can be pretty tough (depending on the app).
I don't think C# is on my resume anymore... The things I want to do aren't fun in Windows...
I liked the books of Charles Petzold: Programming in the Key of C# and Programming Microsoft Windows with C#. I don't know if they are up to date but I think they provide a basic overview.
It isn't a "recipe" book that tells you how to do common things, or something that you read from cover to cover to learn the basic syntax for non-programmers, it's more of a reference book..
In a nutshell:
// MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
This might sound simplistic, but take some of your old code that you are very familiar with and rewrite it with C# constructs, if possible. I'll admit my knowledge of C# and its relationship to other languages in minimal, but this has almost always helped in learning of new syntax/datatypes/limitations for me.
Even if he actually wants books, I don't see why he even needs to ask here. You have *NO* idea how many times I've answered this question before. On various forums, on newsgroups and what not. I could do a lengthy writeup about which books and why, or copy/paste a canned answer every time, but I've essentially tired of answering it over and over again. It's like the old "what distro should I use?" question.
.NET-related (the languages, the framework, the CLR, ADO.NET, ASP.NET, etc). It depends which parts you want to learn about most. Some books are for total beginners, others are targeted at experienced developers. And most people tend to prefer some publishers over another, so it's a bit of a personal choice too.
.NET SDK. Various fun places like coding4fun (why not have some fun while you're learning?) MS eLearning often has some free courses. There's tons of webcasts. I've seen some pretty good offers too (like watch 3 webcasts, and receive a copy of VS 2005 Standard for free). Tons of community sites like codeproject.com. There's just too many resources out there to list (and hyperlink) them all here, so I'm working on a site that lists such resources.
Go to groups.google.com, and search for "C# book recommendations" and variants - I've answered it there like a dozen times at least -- there's currently 1310 hits for that expression! The information is out there, easy to search. No point in answering it over and over again. Try the same on some programming forums. Some programming community sites have relevant stuff too. Check amazon's best sellers in that category. You can probably borrow some (from friends or a public library) and also check the books at your local book store.
Besides, which books *you* really want might be different than the ones I want. There's books on every aspect of programming in anything
BTW, there are some free training videos at MSDN. Some other companies have a few too, or reasonably priced ones (e.g. learnvisualstudio.net). The MSDN library here (1940MB download). Lots of sample code. Starter kits. The MSDN and architecture mags. The
///<sig
Echo the 1st reply..
.NET 3.0 (WPF, WCF and Workflow Foundation) since it's where Microsoft want to go... however corporates will probably give it a few years before it becomes more mainstream.
Books are a waste of time.. The only time I'll buy a book is if the info is very difficult to source online.
If you can read C++, you can read C#. The class naming and hierarchy of their APIs are so verbose that you should be able to understand any sample code.
If you're not in any projects (open source or not), get in & hack hack hack away. C# is pretty widespread now so any issues, just Google it. If you don't like MSDN doco, learn to like it, because it's free and pretty good once you know how to navigate it. And there are a truckload of MSDN blogs as well.
Also look at: - http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/
- http://www.apress.com/free/ (Dissecting a C# Application on the bottom - is about SharpDevelop IDE, which is pretty good)
Who are you planning to be employed by? You might be better off learning
I can recomend the Holy Bible (King James Version, leather bound):L ibrary/dp/0834003511/ref=ed_oe_h/002-6705002-67456 10
http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Giant-Print-Personal-
to help absolve your sins, my son...
"Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master." -Pravin Lal
The only one I've used is "Learning c#" Jesse Liberty . Which is useful to reference. But in reality, if you know OO , then as soon as you get on top of the syntax, the best thing to do is write code.
Jack V All the IT vacancies in one place
For technical IT books I recommend Safari. It has saved me a lot of money since now I can read all new IT technical books online and I don't have to buy dead trees anymore. It has also saved me a lot of space on my library, and the search feature allows me to find quickly what I need. For learning a new language, Safari is surpassed only by open-source, and if you combine the two you can learn C# as fast as you count 1, 2, 3.
P. Sestoft and Henrik I. Hansen, C# Precisely, The MIT Press 2004; second updated printing 2006. ISBN 0-262-69317-8.
http://www.dina.kvl.dk/~sestoft/csharpprecisely/
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (full text online). Anyone who hires someone who doesn't know what's in this book is hiring people for the wrong reasons. Unless you want to work for such people, it doesn't make sense to go into the workforce with such a narrow knowledge (C/C++/C#). Learn everything you can about everything.
Yes, that is very good too, praise the lord! But ask yourself, how can bible help you when your beloved project manager is shouting developers, developers, developers and you suddenly find yourself in path of flying furniture's? I can say that praising lord doesn't do a squad. But alas, help is on a way! For all those miserable souls who don't mind giving their soul in exchange of dark forces of hell, there is the Necromancer Bible. Unfortunately Amazon doesn't carry this item currently. So what to do in a mean time? Well, one could start from The Anarchist Cookbook and show those bastard colleagues on how object class hierarchy should be done. Nothing really starts the day better than seeing your office go way high into the sky and dropping down.
Survey research tool for commercial and scientific use
You don't learn programing by reading a book.
You can show the book around and say "Look, I learn programing.".
You can smell at the book, because new books smell good.
You can put a reading sign made by your daughter into it.
But you don't learn programing by reading a book.
(Take that from an expert.)
Get the Gang of Four, and other books on O-O like Holub on Patterns.
Don't bother with books aimed purely at C#. If you know OO well, you can appreciate other languages too. I recently went from coding C# to Java for the first time, with very little change of pace, simply because the tools, APIs, syntax and general patterns are so similar. I'd expect the same from C/C++, because the C# syntax is both similar and simpler. In particular, context-completion features with popup help in IDEs mean that I very rarely refer to the docs anymore. VB6 used to pop up just the method signatures, with VS2005 and Eclipse, a short description of the routine pops up as well.
But grokking OO after being a procedural programmer for a long time is the hardest mental hurdle to jump. I worked with a bunch of VB6 programmers who just didn't get it, even though the language supports polymorphism reasonably well. Since I left they've transitioned to C# - I hope they had a major epiphany, because if not, they have a lot of big, static classes with very large methods hanging around.
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vcsharp/aa336793. aspx
Did he ask 'should I get a book'?
.NET applications due to the way the database works - watch for DLINQ - it's VERY VERY cool and will hopefully fix the DB issues) O'Reilly C# Essentials is cheap and a nice little reference to get the syntax straight. Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005 is a great book getting into ASP.NET. Someone already mentioned Safari - I've used it but I'm not sold on it as far as using it to find answers. I find 'google .net 2.0 ' works very well.
No. Perhaps those of you that don't read books simply have a reading comprehension problem?
He asked what books to get. He didn't ask what your opinion of using a book to get a jumpstart on a language is. Personally, I've been doing this for 20+ years and a good book for base reference never hurts. Honestly, between the irrational M$ bashing and the need for everyone to either post a joke or just plain not answer the question, I have no idea why anyone 'asks slashdot' anything.
On the plus side, this is probably the first question I've seen where most of the answers ARE answers. Well done for those of you that bothered to post a useful response.
Ignore the no book people - that's strictly a personal issue and is silly thing to post. Nothing beats reading a book at night (or in the porcelain office) to help get familiar with the language - I find it most useful when I need to do something 'weird' and I remember reading a blurb in a book somewhere about how to solve it.
On to business: I'm mostly concentrated on the asp.net side (I'm still not terribly impressed with
If you are looking for information on the .NET framework and namespaces, not syntax and language features, then consider getting one of the MCAD books.
They cover a lot of subjects concerning the .NET framework, assemblies, deploying, databinding, controls, web services and many other things.
Having worked with .NET for a bit over a year now, I have learned a lot of things about the .NET framework by reading the "Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with Visual C# .Net and Visual Studio .NET", that I have not touched upon otherwise while working with .NET. The book is a bit dated compared to the newer .NET frameworks, but still covers a lot of ground that can be very useful.
-NikolajI just paged through programming C# by jesse liberty (o'reily) - It's a great book and there's really only a few things about C# that are different from java, like the yield keyword, operator overloading, and delegates/events, and C++ Style compiler directives.
"You had this look that of an angel, it was such a bad disguise" --Dishwalla
I graduated college without any C# experience, and heard the same rumours -- that C# knowledge opens a lot of doors. I bought the O'Reilly 'Programming C#' book by Jesse Liberty, worked through the examples, and it gave me enough knowledge to get hired as a C# developer.
Since I've been developing C# professionally, I've found the 'C# Cookbook' and the 'ADO.NET Cookbook' extremely useful (both by O'Reilly). People on my team are constantly borrowing these books from me.
APress has quickly become my new favorite. On my vast bookshelf at work, you can kind of chart the publishers:
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
From Addison-Wesley, by Michaels. ISBN 0-321-15077-5.
It goes from 'Hello World' to generics, delegates, interfaces, reflection, threading etc. In short if you are stuck in a MS shop and have to build complex code (like I once was), it is very helpful.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
I learned a lot from this book: Pro C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform. Since C# relies heavily on the .NET or MONO frameworks, I would also suggest downloading the MSDN Library. While you can read this all online, having it locally is very helpful when learning about .NET (also its free). Unless you have Visual Studio, I would also recommend downloading the C# Express IDE from Microsoft: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualcs harp/
I'm assuming you're doing this on windows.
.NET reflector, which you'll need to overcome the lack of documentation for key useful pieces of the framework. This thing is magical.
1) Write a small program to start understanding the syntax. Use code you find on the web for reference.
2) Become familiar with the following projects, and understand how they are implemented:
a) mbUnit, a fantastic example of modern, idiomatic c# design.
b) DynamicProxy, which pushes (abuses?) the CLR's reflection APIs past what you might think they are capable of.
3) Get a copy of
4) Write something larger.
See you, space cowboy...
I've read a few of the "in a Nutshell" books, and the C# one is by FAR the worst. Most of the others are anywhere from good to great (the Java one is outstanding IMO), but the C# one just falls really REALLY flat. The examples are bad, and he often jumps in "assuming" that you know how things are supposed to work. But most glaringly, it doesn't even cover the most common operations. Like take a guess how to bring in an entire text file at once? Guess what: you basically need to go into the API and figure it out yourself, because none of the string or file I/O examples touch on it at all. Now true, I haven't seen it since first edition, but I wouldn't trust it at all. I'm just glad I didn't lay money out for it, but rather got it from a library.
The authors of the "nutshell" books are not all the same, hence the vast differences in quality. Buyer beware!
Sure, why not. In fact I encourage all my competitors to do just that!
// resource allocation is initialization // code missing whole categories of bugs // release resources here and profit!
In the meantime I'll continue with the old-fashioned paradigm based on skillful use of non-proprietary language features.
class raii{
public:
raii(){};
method(){}
~raii(){}
};
This seems to be so much harder than garbage^ collection...
--
phunctor
Buy a java book. Read it. Then just write lines of code that fall somewhere between C++ and Java code, and it'll compile in C#. ;p
After getting the basics of the language down, I would definitely recommend "Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C#" by Bill Wagner (ISBN 0321245660).
I liked this one: Design Patterns in C#
Though it isn't a primer (obviously, given the title) it does contain quite a bit of good information. The author was responsive to my email inquiries about it as well.
[[Jdapnc. O,..y (Nuts...keyboard stuck in Dvorak mode again.)
"Lisp and Scheme have their place, but that's as academic curiosities which is why projects like Guile are languishing."
That a little like saying BSD is dying just because you don't hear a lot about people using it. Lisp, Scheme, Smalltalk, Mumps and even Forth are all being used, and most likely because of "competitive adavantage", you're not going to hear about it. Learning a language other than your native one is hard. Why would one think that computer languages are an exception? Especially when one is going to another paradigm (Imperative to OOP) as well as new syntax. Java and C# succeeded in part because they're not leaps, but small jumps towards what Lisp and Smalltalk already are. Some however may think it makes more sense to make a leap, than baby steps into the future, and gain benefits NOW, rather than when the rest of the world is ready for them.
"Get the Gang of Four, and other books on O-O like Holub on Patterns."
Two others.
The Nature of Software and the Laws of Software Process (seriously)
Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design: A Brain Friendly Guide to OOA&D (For those having trouble grokking OOP)
BTW GOF and Holub are about patterns, not just OOP.
My experience in a recent job search is that the demand for Java exceeds that for C#. Unless you're enamored of Microsoft software and operating systems, you might want to learn Java first.
One thing for sure - the demand for C++ programmers has collapsed, at least in the DC area.
No sig? Sigh...
Forget C# - Learn Perl!
.Net Framework class library looks great on paper, but in practice it just forces you into doing things one particular way. If that way is sub-optimal, too bad.
It's miles behind Perl anyway. Maybe by the time they get to C# version 5 or 6 it will be as expressive and flexible as Perl.
I know this sounds like flamebait, and for that I am sorry.
Seriously - I've been programming C# 2 for over a year and I'm constantly blown away by how brittle the language is. The
ASP.Net 2.0 is nice with its MasterPages and Web.Config features, but unless you're doing the most simple kind of web development without any kind of creativity involved, ASP.Net 2.0 will just end up getting underfoot and in your way. It is speedy though, which I like.
Even if Perl6 takes another year to get released it will still be far, far ahead of where Microsoft has taken C#.
Besides. Vista is going to be Microsoft's tombstone and C#'s market will only shrink.
I would have signed in if I weren't on a public computer.
I've been on/off developing in C# since 1.0 (2002). Two books I'd recommend, both my Microsoft Press:
.NET Framework Programming"w ork-Programming/dp/0735614229 .NET, with most all examples in C#.
p /dp/0735621292
"Applied
http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Microsoft-NET-Frame
- Recommend reading this first, cover to cover
- It gives the gritty details of
- Services as an invaluable reference
"Visual C# 2005 Step By Step"
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Visual-C-2005-Ste
- Specifics on the latest release of C#
- While guided, not too much fluff
Good luck!
I'd also like to suggest that if you aren't sure, you can always check your local public library. I'm the computer librarian (one of two) at mine, and we have most of the books I've seen mentioned here.
.NET 2.0 platform by Andrew Troelsen and then decide that you really wanted was Programming C# by Jesse Liberty, that's always an option, too. At least it is if one of your local libraries has a good computer collection.
So if you don't want to blow $40 on Pro C# 2005 and the
I'm taking a C# class now and the book we use is pretty good. Beginning Visual C# 2005 Of course, I'm not familiar with any other books on the subject, but my professor picked this one out of a whole bunch, so he must have had a reason!
When all else fails, use O'Reilly.
You're already very familiar with OOP. If you're like me and just want the facts in hurry, I'd recommend something like C# Essentials: http://www.amazon.com/C-Essentials-2nd-Ben-Albahar i/dp/0596003153/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5749589-837266 3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174093734&sr=8-1
.Net framework libraries and getting proficient will other aspects/pitfalls of .Net development. The language itself will be easy for you.
It covers the language as quickly as anything I've seen. I felt fairly up-to-speed after a long weekend with this book. It won't waste your time telling you how to code "hello world" or giving you architectual guidance (there's plenty of that online). It's cheap too.
Your biggest hurdle will be learning the
Ask me about my sig!
I made a mistake here. It is their "Head-First Patterns" book that does this, not necessarily the one listed here. I apologize.
Table-ized A.I.
I feel that Meyer's "Effective C++" was a wonderful book, and should be mandatory reading for anyone developing in C++. So I was thrilled to find that Meyer's had endorsed an "Effective C#", even though he wasn't the author.
Unfortunately, I have to say that I was disappointed by Effective C#. The author often made suggestions without explanations. Like "Always use the CLR's built-in types (Int32, String) instead of the C# language specific types (int, string). No real explanation or justification given. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure if the author wanted you to use the built-ins or the CLR types - since no good justification was given, I just can't remember what the recommendation was.)
There is some good content in the book - just not enough to justify the "Effective" title.
Wiping the Slate Clean with C# published by Breakthrough Technologies, Inc..
It's the best C# introduction for both seasoned programmers and newbies.
Framework Design Guidelines
It won't teach you to program in C#, but it will explain why things are the way they are, and give you a lot of good rules to keep you from making bad mistakes. Especially if you want to make reusable libraries, but even if not.
We apologize for the preceding message. All those responsible have been sacked.
Deitel and Deitel's C# book is a good choice. All of Deitel's books are good to learn languages.
I hope you weren't thinking you'd only have to read one book...
.NET API is key. For that, I would recommend:
.NET. Unless you have a preference I would start with web as there are more jobs there. I think.
.NET 3.0 is here and there are new ways you can structure your programs, particularly for a winform application. I would really learn that as well and try to do something interesting there.
Learning the
* read CLR via C#, Second Edition, by Richter
I taught myself C# and my first year of code was rather hideous until I started spending time on Design Patterns. The following books are good:
* Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Hardcover) by Martin Fowler
* Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design A Brain Friendly Guide to OOA&D By Brett McLaughlin, Gary Pollice, David West
* Design Patterns C# (Hardcover) by Steven John Metsker (Author)
For web, I would recommend the following ASP.NET books:
* Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Applications: Advanced Topics by Dino Esposito (Paperback - Mar 15, 2006)
* Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Core Reference by Dino Esposito (Paperback - Nov 30, 2005)
You definitely need to do code so I would start some sort of project for someone, like a non-profit, in
Also, C# isn't the only language thats hiring. You might want to consider Java or other alternatives to the windows world. Windows keeps me employed, but if I was to start my own company, the startup costs are too high for a windows environment.
Before you decide to learn C#, perform a little experiment
Go to www.dice.com and search on these two keywords:
Java: 16,323 job hits
C#: 6,738 job hits.
Which one do you think you should learn--if your goal is not getting into a backwater?
Second point: To learn C# you're basically stuck buying expensive IDEs and upgrades and the whole stack from Microsoft.
To learn Java, you're basically stuck getting for free tools like Eclipse and JBoss and all other kinds of free stuff. Are you a masochist? Do you like spending your money, only to find few opportunities?
It remains your choice. Microsoft partisans like your friends are going to tell you one thing. But, following your Dice search, who are you going to believe? Your lying eyes or your friends?I'm late to the party, but I'll throw in my two cents here. Visit the MS site!
The truth is, you know how to program, you want to learn details. Well MS wants you to learn those details too. So go to www.msdn.com and check out what they have. You should be able to download a free copy of VS 2005 Express Edition that will let you play around.
If you really want to dig in, take an Microsoft Certification course. That means, buy a Self-paced training kit from MS and work your way from front to back (takes 50-100 hours). When you are done you will have a shiny certificate that says that you know some major aspect of C# (and you will).
Now, when it comes up in an interview, you can confidently state that "yes I know .NET" and you can provide a document to prove it. Employers put different weightings on the value of certifications, but if you're up against other new grads, you have more proof than they do about your knowledge. Plus you'll have demonstrated your "dedication to lifelong learning" in a concrete fashion (rather than "I just read a book and got some of it").
"Beginning C# Objects" Barker & Palmer (APress)
because it also goes beyond the general syntax stuff (that the Deitel book covers, for example) into how to break down problems into objects. Found it very useful as there are literally 1000's of ways to approach a problem in C# (or any OO language) but this gives you a primer on best practices.
i see a lot of good points to be made as to what book would be the best choice... I would recommend using something like the C# Black Book, or anything by O'Reilly or WROX publishing companies. I have found these to be most helpful in learning new languages. All that I can say, though, is that once you get to a point where you know a few languages, any book will just be reference, and you will only get some shortcuts and decent references to what you want to do. if you really have a grasp of what you want to accomplish, then I would recommend spending some time searching google or krugle and looking at source from sourceforge.net or some other open-source site to see how "real" programmers do it. don't get me wrong, I learn a lot from books, and never stop reading about my trade, but there is a lot more to be said about reading about how to do something, and seeing it done. I am more hands-on, and when I can see the methods applied real-world, it makes a huge difference. I used to teach a 200 level programming class, and that is the one thing that I cannot emphasize enough. Read, learn, educate, that is all well and good, but you must also make sure that you do, practice, exercise everything that you learn so you can discover how to do it better, more efficient, or just differently from the guy before you. You cannot go with just doing, and you cannot go with just reading... there is a reason that certifications are not as prominent in our profession, and that is simply because (and I cannot remember where this quote came from...) "those who cannot do get certified". Again, I reiterate, O'Reilly or WROX, don't rely on books, get out there and have fun! C# is a powerful language (even with the Microsoft branding) and has much potential! I have loved it since it came out, but sadly I am here doing more with PHP, ASP, JavaScript, and that sort (I am the only .NET developer in my company...) but take hold of a .NET language on top of ANSII standard C++ or come C-style syntax language and you are unstoppable! you get the best and the worst, the sweet and the sour, and you get to decide what falls on which side of the fence :)
Sorry about the rambling... 3:00am here and just trying to take a quick break from work...
hope this offers some new insite!
I find that with C#, the language is just the tip of the iceberg. You should make an effort to study the .NET CLR in depth, and I know of a great book by Jeffrey Richter called "CLR via C#."
It's probably going to be pretty hard to get far in C# without understanding some fundamental (but non-obvious) things about assemblies, garbage collection, code access security, etc.