Are these good books?

Question

I am going to start a project soon that will need a database and i decided to use c# with sql server. I don't know much about c# yet but i have a good amount of experience in c++. I was thinking of getting 1 or 2 of these three books to get started with c# and sql server:  #1. Murach's C# 2008 #2. Murach's SQL Server for Developers #3. Programming Microsoft Visual c# 2008 . I am leaning more towards getting #1 and #2 but i would like the opinion of some more people.

Thanks. :)

Answer 1

Anyone? :(

Answer 2

Nahp!

---

Mark the best replies as answers. "Fooling computers since 1971."

Answer 3

What does that mean?

Answer 4

I have been working in this industry since 1998 working primarily with SQL Server and ASP classic and .NET.  I always suggest a book that covers all aspects from the database design through to the finished application.  For this reason a book like "ASP.NET Social Networking - An expert guide to building enterprise ready social networking and community applications with ASP.NET 3.5" might be a good suggestion.  It covers ASP.NET 3.5, C# 3.0, LINQ to SQL, SQL Server 2005, domain driven design, repository pattern, StructureMap, MemCached, Lucene.NET and many many other goodies.

I might be a biased opinion though...I wrote it!  <GRIN>

If not that book I would also suggest taking a look at the Professional ASP.NET MVC 1.0...chapter 1 is free and walks you through a project (building www.nerddinner.com - which is a live app) from start to finish.

---

Andrew Siemer www.andrewsiemer.com blog.andrewsiemer.com www.socialnetworkingin.net

Answer 5

Thanks for the advice but the description says it is for people who are already experienced with c# and asp.net and this will be one of my first experiences with it. :) But if i ever want to go farther with c# development i will definitely check it out.

Answer 6

What does that mean?

As a "first purchase" selection, I think you should pick up a language reference, perhaps even a .NET Framework reference too.  Check out the ones from Microsoft Press like your #3.  The problem I find with most "beginner" or "teaching" books is that they are actally thin on real substance and far too easily outgrown for the price you pay.  Most of the stuff in those books is on the order of "Hello World".

You should also look into books that teach basic programming concepts, like OOP.  Check out the Head First series of books starting with "Design Patterns" after you learn the language syntax of C# to point where you can follow it without looking up keywords.

---

Mark the best replies as answers. "Fooling computers since 1971."

Answer 7

http://www.rmfusion.com is a useful website covering various development topics.

Answer 8

Since you are experienced I would check out Wrox Publishing's website. They have droves of books at all levels.

"Professional C# 2008" is a good book for someone who is an experienced developer ( especially C++ ). It covers a range of topics:  syntax, data access, services, UI  (Winforms and WPF ), WCF, and advanced topics.

They also have books that are more specific to certain technologies: Linq to Sql and Entity Framework, ASP.Net, Sockets etc...