Reviews for Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET 3.5 in 24 Hours

1. Beginner to solid foundation

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2010

   Well done again Sams.
   
   My client wanted me to create a front end for data entry to go on their intranet, instead of using MS Access forms. I have taken a week off with this book. It has rapidly got me from knowing nothing about ASP.NET to a good solid foundation which is all I ever want from these teach-yourself books. I will use Google from here on to work out the extra fancy stuff as I go along.
   
   It is a hands-on book. All the way throgh it makes you practice what it is teaching you and explains clearly what is happening and why. Every chapter ends with a quiz to test your knowledge and most chapters end with a few well thought out exercises which you do to really ensure you have learnt the contents of the chapter.
   
   It also explains the basics of VB.NET and SQL for people who have not used those tools before as well. Of course, to make good use of ASP.NET you really do need to practice VB.NET and SQL.
   
   To get a solid foundation in VB.NET I recommend SAMS Teach Yourself Visual Basic 2008. For SQL, you can't do better than Apress' SQL Server 2008: Novice to Professional. Although SAMS equivalent is v good also.
   
   
   
   

2. A good starter book

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2009

   I think this is an excellent book to get started with ASP.NET. It leads you through the basics at a gentle pace but allows you to start creating your own website quickly. The text is easy to read and follow with useful exercises and questions at the end of the chapter to see if you have understood.
   
   Databases doesn't start until the end of the book and though a little basic it makes for a good foundation for further reading.
   
   A book well written with the beginner in mind.