Microsoft's .NET is revolutionizing Windows-based software development. Since its initial release in 2002, .NET has changed significantly, becoming the foundation for a new generation of Windows applications. The .NET Framework and Visual Studio, the two core aspects of this initiative, provide a multilanguage environment in which developers can create Web services, graphical user interfaces, and other kinds of applications. Taken as a whole, the .NET technologies have changed the way nearly every Windows application is built.

Now fully updated for version 2.0 of the .NET Framework and Visual Basic 2005, Understanding .NET, Second Edition, is a concise guide to the landscape of Windows development. Margin notes, detailed diagrams, and lucid writing make this book easy to read and navigate, while analysis sections explore controversial issues and address common concerns. David Chappell's independent perspective and straightforward descriptions clarify both how the .NET technologies work and how they can be used.

Coverage includes

• An overview of .NET and its goals

• The Common Language Runtime (CLR)

• The .NET languages, including C#, Visual Basic, and C++

• The .NET Framework class library

• Building Web Applications with ASP.NET

• Accessing Data with ADO.NET

• .NET framework integration with SQL Server 2005

The key to using a new technology is to understand the fundamentals. This book provides the robust foundation developers and technical managers need to make the right decisions and maximize the potential of this revolutionary framework.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 27 Ratings

No tutorial - 2006-01-03
Reviewer Rating:
While this book is well written and provides an overview, it is important to note that there is absolutely no tutorial. If you are expecting an instructional section that is set up as a series of steps that progress through levels of difficulty and understanding that provide a working knowlege of the subject (as is implied by the word tutorial in the title)you will not find that in this book.

Simple & General Introduction - 2009-09-24
Reviewer Rating:
When I read about the book before I bought it, I got the impression that it will talk in details about .NET applications and the way they interact with .dll files they link to. I was interested maily in product installation issues and deployment. I bought the book and read the chapters that I saw peratining to the subject. The discussion related to the issues I was looking for was not that deep or detailed to clearly explain deployment/setup issues that I am facing at my work. The book did, though, add to my knowledge about the way the .NET CLR works, memory management, ... etc., but very little about setup and deployment of .NET applications.

Excellent description of .NET for first timers - 2008-10-27
Reviewer Rating:
I've been involved with software for almost 25 years now. Despite that, I've done very little Windows programming and never got to do anything with .net technology. This book had been a perfect starting point for me. I've found it to be well written (I've been able to read it from cover to cover in about a week or so), and it provided me with just the insights I needed for .NET.
In particluar, I liked the broad persepctive of .NET technology it offers. This is essential for later conducting one's own search via reading the on-line stuff and other material (you'll never find something if you never knew you ought to have searched for it...).

The technical examples are very good - they illustrate the points the author is making, without needlessly burdening the reader with details & complexities that are sometimes found in books that focus on "how to write XYZ" .

Note that the book covers .NET 2.0. I hope there will be a next edition, covering .NET 3.0/3.5 and technologies such as WPF.

I highly recomend this book for folks with some SW background, that are unfamilar with .NET and wish to get some general feel for this technology before diving deep into specific areas.

Excellent map of the .Net world! - 2008-05-31
Reviewer Rating:
If you're a .Net programmer, you might think an overview book like this is beneath you - it probably sounds like management oriented fluff. However, we all have to admit .Net is huge and constantly changing. It's tough to keep up on all its facets, let alone, put them into some sort of historical context. This book does that for you. What's more, it explains the why's and what-for's behind the various .Net pieces better than any other book I've run across. I think even experienced dotnetters will enjoy quite a few 'ah ha' moments reading this book.

If you're a management type, the first chapter alone is gold. Read it, learn it, and you'll probably be able to understand what your average dotnet programmer is saying. Best of all, when they call the Intermediate Language "bytecode" (which I've noticed happens pretty often) you get to correct them: "bytecode is Java - in dotnet we call it IL." Surely this moment of triumph alone is worth the price of the book.

One criticism: Why a lion on the cover? I think it makes this book look like one of those learn how to program X in 30 days books, that is, a cheap poorly written ripoff. This book deserves better! I'd put it in the same class as a great introductory text book, so why not make it look like one.

Excellent - 2008-03-27
Reviewer Rating:
I'm a software engineer who has a background with C++ and Java. I normally stick up my nose at anything Microsoft. So I was skeptical picking up this book, but I'm glad I did. It presents the user with an overall look at the .NET framework.

This book is good for people with a Java background.

It probably wouldn't be a good book for the avid .NET user.

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