Quick Review: Too Much For 21 Days

A thorough reference manual for the ASP.NET beginner

I knew from the first moment a winded UPS delivery person handed me the mammoth box containing ASP.NET in 21 days that I would be dealing with a red-eye special. It is an ideal text for those that want a comprehensive introduction to ASP.NET that is long on explanations and provides plenty of code samples. ASP.NET in 21 Days also makes an excellent reference manual with appendices that include common mistakes as well as a reference to the methods and properties of ADO.NET and ASP.NET.

Pros: Well structured, numerous examples; excellent reference.
Cons:
VB.NET samples only; too long for a 21-day timeframe; unnecessary exercises.
Verdict: Too much ASP.NET for novices to learn in 21 days; but thorough VB.NET-centric intro to ASP.NET with lots of examples.

This book is targeted at beginners, with or without ASP experience, that have done at least some Visual Basic development. More advanced users that have been programming ASP for years will probably seek out a more technical reference that explains the differences without the fanfare and constant reminders of how things used to be done in ASP. Bottom line: a great start for beginners but be patient.

About the Author

Chip Andrews, MCSE+I, MCDBA is a software security architect at (Clarus Corp.). Chip maintains the (sqlsecurity.com) Web site and speaks at security conferences on SQL Server security issues.

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