From the book lists at Adware Report:

 All information current as of 11:49:56 Pacific Time, Sunday, 27 March 2005.

The .NET Languages: A Quick Translation Guide

   by Brian Bischof

  Paperback:
    Apress
    04 December, 2001

   US$19.77 

   Usually ships in 24 hours

Click the button below to . . .

    
(which will add the book to your Amazon U.S.A. "Shopping Cart")

. . . or use your browser's Back button to return to the search-list page.
Editorial description(s):

Amazon.com
For Visual Basic and C# programmers facing Microsoft's new platform, The .NET Languages: A Quick Translation Guide offers an extremely useful comparison of three languages: Visual Basic 6, Visual Basic .NET, and C#. With nearly indispensable code snippets that show central language features at work, this book offers an excellent resource for getting up to speed with .NET in record time.

The just-the-facts approach in this text is its best feature. By keeping the commentary to a minimum, the book quickly introduces you to what you need to know. The author shows how specific language features are implemented in three different languages, beginning with basic constructs like data types and flow control statements. Technically, both Visual Basic .NET and the new C# are equal partners in Visual Studio .NET. This book can save two types of users significant time: those moving from VB 6 to VB .NET and those thinking about upgrading their VB skills to C# (an option, now that the languages are so close).

The book does a good job comparing the use of common class design constructs for methods and properties and how to use inheritance and interfaces. This material will likely justify the cover price of the book for many readers, as it is tricky to get right, and each of the new .NET languages uses slightly different keywords and conventions when it comes to class design.

Later chapters cover essential .NET APIs with code snippets that will also help you save time. In particular, we liked how the author illustrates how to get started with ADO.NET and databases. Also useful here is a section on COM interoperability with .NET (as this is likely to be a common programming chore).

By keeping explanations short and sweet and letting short code excerpts do most of the talking (along with short, complete programs), the author has devised a very useful text, one that can demystify what's new and different about .NET for any VB or C# programmer. Timely, concise, and deftly organized, this title is a perfect choice for those who like to learn new programming languages by example. Few programming titles can claim to be as immediately useful as this one. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Tutorial and comparative language comparison for Visual Basic 6, Visual Basic .NET, and C#; case sensitivity, commenting styles, variables, and procedures used in each language; data types and conversion functions; operators compared; conditional statements and loops; working with collections; exception-handling basics; class design across three .NET languages (including constructors, methods and properties, finalizers, and overloading techniques); interfaces and inheritance in each language; declaring and handling events; using the String and StringBuilder classes; using Windows Forms (and the Visual Studio IDE form designer); ADO.NET basics (including forward-only access with DataReaders and the DataGrid control); math and financial functions; collections (including iterating through collections); common interoperability in .NET (including early and late binding); examining application settings; logging events; introduction to drawing in forms; basic printing; and sample snippets for showing essential .NET APIs at work.

Peter Bromberg, EggHeadCafe.com
"Do yourself a favor and invest in a copy of The .NET Languages...you'll thank me later."

Peter Bromberg, EggHeadCafe.com
"Do yourself a favor and invest in a copy of The .net Languages...you'll thank me later."

From the Publisher
For Visual Basic and C# programmers facing Microsoft's new platform, The .net Languages: A Quick Translation Guide offers an extremely useful comparison of three languages: Visual Basic 6, Visual Basic .net, and C#. With nearly indispensable code snippets that show central language features at work, this book offers an excellent resource for getting up to speed with .net in record time.

The just-the-facts approach in this text is its best feature. By keeping the commentary to a minimum, the book quickly introduces you to what you need to know. The author shows how specific language features are implemented in three different languages, beginning with basic constructs like data types and flow control statements. Technically, both Visual Basic .net and the new C# are equal partners in Visual Studio .net. This book can save two types of users significant time: those moving from VB 6 to VB .net and those thinking about upgrading their VB skills to C# (an option, now that the languages are so close).

The book does a good job comparing the use of common class design constructs for methods and properties and how to use inheritance and interfaces. This material will likely justify the cover price of the book for many readers, as it is tricky to get right, and each of the new .net languages uses slightly different keywords and conventions when it comes to class design.

Later chapters cover essential .net APIs with code snippets that will also help you save time. In particular, we liked how the author illustrates how to get started with ADO.net and databases. Also useful here is a section on COM interoperability with .net (as this is likely to be a common programming chore).

By keeping explanations short and sweet and letting short code excerpts do most of the talking (along with short, complete programs), the author has devised a very useful text, one that can demystify what's new and different about .net for any VB or C# programmer. Timely, concise, and deftly organized, this title is a perfect choice for those who like to learn new programming languages by example. Few programming titles can claim to be as immediately useful as this one. --Richard Dragan

About the Author
Brian Bischof is the president of Bischof Systems, Inc., a software development firm providing custom solutions to businesses for the past 12 years. He has been a corporate trainer for the past 3 years and has taught Visual Basic to programmers from companies such as Intel, Toshiba, Bank One, Exxon, Texaco, General Electric, and Lockheed Martin. His professional certifications include Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT).

Book Description




— Steven Mandel, .NET Developer's Journal



The .NET Languages: A Quick Translation Guide answers two questions posed by the introduction of the .NET Framework: "How do I quickly upgrade my skills to this new language?" and "How do I understand the code that another developer has written?"



Author Brian Bischof offers a complete translation guide for converting programs among the three primary Microsoft languages: Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Basic .NET, and C#. Bischof makes it easy for the thousands of Visual Basic 6.0 programmers today to take the knowledge they already have and use it to write for the .NET platform.



Each chapter is laid out in a clear and concise format. Most chapters begin with a syntax conversion chart displaying how each language translates into the other languages. Included are detailed points explaining these conversions. Each chapter ends with a fully comprehensive example, written in each language, that demonstrates that particular chapter';s concepts. This provides you with all the information you need for converting your programs: quick lookup charts, detailed explanations, and thorough examples. Nothing is left out.



With the help of The .NET Languages: A Quick Translation Guide, programmers will quickly learn how to build a wide range of applications for the new Microsoft .NET platform.






Reader review(s):

An excellent beginning to .NET programming, June 15, 2002
If you're like me and you learn best from example, you'll find this text--it's riddled with examples--a terrific choice.

I recently began a new software development project that will take about a year to complete. I wanted to ramp up on the .NET platform since I believe it a vast (vast is too little a word in this case) improvement over the platforms of yesteryear. I browsed Amazon and ordered a variety of titles with which to equip myself; some of the titles more advanced in nature than this one.

The box of goodies arrived and I began to assimilate. I went for "Applied Microsoft .NET Framework Programming" straight off and found it to be informative but overly so. Some of the concepts being so fresh that I had no relational peg from which to hang them. The nitty-gritties were deeper than necessary for transition into .NET. I typically learn in an incremental fashion: first give me something that shows me the basics at 20,000 feet so I can begin creating my "relational pegs" from which to hang the more advanced notions as I read additional tomes.

I've found "The .NET Languages" to be one of the essential books I needed (and you'll need) in my toolbox. It's no mere translation guide, it's exactly what you need to absorb the basics if you're already versed in one of it's three languages (VB 6.0, VB.NET, and C#). I came from a primarily VB 6.0 background, and I've been learning both C# and VB.NET. This book is amazing at quickly helping me to grasp the two newer languages as the majority of it consists of side-by-side example-code comparisons in the 3 languages. Understand, it's not a standalone means of breaking into .NET, you'll need more meat, but this is one excellent appetizer. It also serves as a quick syntax reference or, as it's title suggests, a basis for translating code between languages.

As I moved from theory into actual design and then development, I found .NET to be a different monster than I had encountered in my past 10 years experience. At first, my impression and my fear was that I'd have to learn so many concepts that I'd be dizzy before I could even start programming. Yes, there was/is a lot to learn, but you can begin developing more quickly than you might expect. As I said, I started with the .NET Framework Programming book which, in my opinion, although I thought it would be an excellent starting point, was not. It only served to overwhelm me with some complexities (not that the entire book is complex) that I was able to better learn after I had my foundation.

Dig into the nitty-gritties later. How do you know, in the computer profession, that you're equipped and ready to begin creating production-level systems? It seems you're only as ready as you are, because you could always know more. (Why God didn't make a 32-hour day exception for computer professionals I'll never know!) How many times--if you're of the variety who undergoes continuing self-education--are you reflecting on past designs and implementations with new enlightenment and the feeling that you could do it twice as good now.

In my opinion, if you're moving into .NET, take the incremental approach. This book along with Wrox's "Beginning C#" and "ADO.NET" were excellent starting points for me.

Not like the other .NET books, December 14, 2001
I've purchased 7 .NET books so far, and my favorites so far are by Troelsen and Liberty. They both do a great job of teaching you C#. However, this book takes a different approach. Rather than trying to teach you everything about .NET, it focuses on showing you the syntax for the languages. It does it for BOTH languages. What makes it unusual is the way the material is presented. Its concise and to the point. There's no fluff. The beginning of each chapter has a three column table that compares the syntax for VB6, VB.NET and C#. If you know how to program in one language, just find what you want in your current language and look at the next column. It shows you how to do the exact same thing in the other languages. In my opinion, these "conversion" tables are the best part of the book. The rest of the chapter goes into details explaining what the differences are. These explanations were helpful the first time I read them, but I'm really going back to the tables for a refresher of the syntax I forgot.

The chapters at the end of the book (forms, COM, ADO.NET, graphics & printing, the Windows registry, dates & times) focus on comparing how to do something that you did in VB6 and showing you how to do it in .NET. This is really dealing with the .NET Framework.

I think that if you can't make up your mind which language to learn, then this book could help because you can see where the languages are similar and where they are different. Once you decide which language you like, the syntax tables make a great reference guide.

Excellent to ramp up quickly, December 23, 2001
At first I was not too sure about the book, thinking it might be another quick book that was just banged out on .NET. I was wrong!

This book doesn't waste time. It gets right to the point in getting you up to speed with the main .NET languages (VB.NET and C#). The wonderful thing about it is that it shows you the VB (6 and .NET) and C# syntax side-by-side, so that in one pass, you can learn both languages.

I had already been programming with VB.NET for almost a year before I read this book, and I had even done some C# work. Thanks to this book, now I know C# as well as VB.NET, and can easily work both languages.

They also have a few "bonus" chapters that show you how to quickly start using things like ADO.NET, and GDI+,-- painting and printing. I was surprised to see something there, since it doesn't directly deal with the language. The bonus chapters aren't a full reference, but they are enough to quickly get you up and running!

Bottom line: You want to upgrade to .NET? Read this book.

It Accomplishes Its Goal, August 28, 2004
I use this book a LOT. The reason I love it is because it does exactly what it was meant to do: take a starting point that I can relate to, Visual Basic 6, and cross-reference my previous knowledge to VB.NET and C#. I have not found any other book that cross-references all three languages the way this one does. For instance, if I know what command I would use in VB 6, but I'm new to C# then it's a 15 minute search to find something equivalent in MSDN. But if I pull out my trusty Translation Guide there it is in a few seconds! From there if I need more in-depth detail I can go straight to the correct article in MSDN, however in most cases it tells me everything I need to know because I already understand the concepts, I just need to know how to do the same type of task in another language. This book is absolutely invaluable to me as a reformed VB6 programmer!

Well organized, concise, indispensable, March 19, 2002
As an author who provides all our code examples in both C# and VB.NET, this book is indispensable. Whenever I have a question about how to express some code in one language or the other, it provides the concise information I need. I highly recommend it.

A Very Useful Quick Ref, March 19, 2004
Anytime I enter into the world of a new technology, I tend to inundate myself with books. I purchased many books as I prepared myself for the transition into .NET, particularly to adopting the use of C#.

While other books taught me about the ins and outs of the .NET framework, this one helped me to quickly grasp the language. It provides useful and practical examples for tasks I had long taken for granted in VB 6.0 and prior. In fact, the essense of the book is all about bridging one's understanding from the "old way" of coding to the "new way" and it does so quite well.

Many times I need to quickly recall syntax. The book is well organized and I can almost always find what I'm looking for in a minute. Other books leave me searching or even wondering where that one nugget of truth that I learned last month (but can only vaguely recall this month) must be.

This book is perfect for the person who wants to learn the language syntax (VB or C#) from practical patterns and examples.

Don't Waste Your Time, October 8, 2003
This book ignores major features of the .Net Architecture, and barely acknowledges ASP. It is as if the author has heard about the framework secondhand.

Regarding .NET Final Release, March 7, 2002
As the author, I wanted to let you know that this book was written with .NET Release Candidate 1. Now that .NET Final has been released, I recompiled all the code and it is 100% compatible. As a result, this is the only edition being printed for VS.NET. You can download Chapter 2 from my website. Thanks to everyone for the positive emails.

Focussing too much to the language, October 30, 2002
If you're a programmer, this book wouldn't teach you much except serve as a language reference when you are working on a specific item. If you are looking for a more solid book on reference, go for those that covers from A - Z (eg. Core Reference). If you want to convert from a older version (eg. VB6), this book will only help you in the language part as it doesn't cover other essential elements such as the new IDE, or distribution, or framework aspects.

I don't think you will use this book to decide which language you want to migrate to in .NET. It's not really helpful in that sense and you'd probably best be sticking with the language you are most comfortable with. I was using VB6 and because of the lack of necessary details, I find it very difficult to move up to VB.NET until I got another complete reference book. However, if you already know your way around .NET, this book would help you much.

Also, there are many examples which is good but it does take up much pages here. I wish this book could be thicker. There could be really much room for improvement.

Nice Concise Overview, May 29, 2002
It is fun to skim through the first chapters of this book. It gives you a nice and concise overview of what changed from VB6 to VB.Net and C#.
The later chapters are still interesting. Anyhow they are more about the classes in the libraries. Here sometimes there is no comparison to VB6 (ADO.Net) and also the differences between VB and C# are marginal only. The overview itself is to the point refreshing and helpful.
To read this book a good familiarity with VB6 or Java is mandatory. Also the author will not teach you any OO or DB basics.
{end of page}

(Page code from the SEO Tools, Toys, and Packages site)