The C# Player's Guide (4th Edition)
D**N
For beginners, but excellent
For beginning C# programmers, this is an excellent book. The Amazon description explains the book really well, so I won't.But I will point out one thing: the book uses only console applications ... it does not cover WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET, etc. Personally, I think that is good for a beginners book - you learn C# itself, without being distracted by the various app models' details.And you don't just learn the basics of C#, but also delegates, events, generics, lambda expressions, asynchronous programming, and other similar more-advanced topics.Overall, I was undecided whether to rate it a 4 or a 5, but then I took the price into consideration. There is plenty bang for the buck, so I went with a 5.
A**R
Excellent tutorial quality and excellent printing quality
I have a computer science & mathematics degree for a long time now and so learned C & C++ in college and used them at various work places. I have seen many combination teaching and reference programming manuals similar to this book and it is the style I prefer. Concise but covering all the introductory topics needed.Now I am developing as a hobby in my free time and while the Visual Studio UI and my own experience allows me to get where I need to be programming in C# what I wanted is a good C# teaching book that would help me develop the quickness coding in C# that I had already developed in C & C++. This book fits that bill.What makes this book even better is the size of the book, the size of the font, and the quality of the printing of this book; all that sets it a step up from most books printed nowadays.
K**R
I know many languages, but wanted a quick start to get going in C#
I have worked (and taught) many programming languages, from early Fortran and COBOL to LISP, T/SQL, and PL/SQL. My C programming skills were pretty rusty and I hadn't done any serious C# (or C++) programming in years, so I was looking for a book that would (inexpensively) cover the key parts of the language.This is a very good book for someone who has at least some background in software development/software engineering.The author introduces concepts and coding structures very effectively, in the context of developing a computer game framework.The exercises are useful and well-designed to teach the concepts and structures, and the pace of the book is very well done.The only area that I found to be a bit weak was in discussing Classes versus Structures - I would have preferred a bit more conceptual work here, with more examples.For complete programming "newbies", I would recommend starting with a simpler programming language, such as VisualBasic or Python. For someone with at least some background in programming, this is an excellent way to get started in C#.
S**X
A good C# book for developers from other languages
I am a seasoned C++/COM, Delphi and Assembly developer with 20+ years experience. Before this book, I am already familiar with subjects such as Delegates, Events, Anonymous Methods, Closure, Asynchronous programming, Design Patterns and Algorithms&Data Structures etc.I had also some on-and-off experience reviewing some small C# code, mostly for inter-operating with other languages.I need a C# book that can get me up from the ground, and move quickly to its advanced subjects. To that end, this book has satisfactorily meet my needs. It is well written and fairly to the point without nonsense. A 400 pages book as it is, it just take me 6 hours to complete the reading. In the end, I have a comfortable feeling that my goal is well served.If you have a similar background like me and a similar goal, this book would suit you well. I would also recommend "C# 7.0 Pocket Reference", to be used together with this book.
M**D
The best C# book out there
After trying to teach myself C# for many years and giving up many times because other resources were painful to read and overly technical, I came across The C# Player's Guide by chance.This book was a turning point for me. A godsend. The author has a way of speaking to you in a casual, conversational way. The subject matter has now become simple and enjoyable to learn.This book will serve you well if you're even completely new to programming.
J**A
Don't waste time with online YouTube tutorials. Buy this instead.
Like many others, I first tried to learn C# online, through various YouTube tutorials that were years old and Skillshare courses which were unhelpful and difficult to follow. Enter the C# Player's Guide. This book is incredibly informative, hands-on, and practical. It doesn't drone on and each part is followed by a coding challenge so you can apply and prove your knowledge, and pretty much all of the challenges are engaging and just plain fun. I cannot recommend this book enough, it is truly incredible.
D**D
A great guide!
I had to get this textbook for school. With the theme I was hoping it would be written in an engaging way and I was not disappointed. It is easy to read and very informative.The only reason why I took off a star was for delivery. Who ever put it in the envelope bent back the cover when doing so. Also, it was delayed so I ended up getting it late and had to read several levels to catch up with my class.
S**S
The most important book in my uni years
This book was recommended to me by my lecturer in my first year of university when I was struggling grasping programming. He said this is the book he seems to find help students the most with C#.. and boy did it !It covers everything you need to need know from the very basics to the more intermediate and slightly more advanced techniques.I loved the book so much during the first year of my computer science degree that I kept renewing the library check out for it throughout the entire year and have now bought a copy as it just should sit in your collection as a programmer in my opinion.It took me from struggling to understand the fundamentals of programming when I was starting out to getting a pretty solid grasp and allowing me to progress. If that’s not worth the asking price I don’t know what is from a programming book.
J**N
The book I was looking for
C# is the very language I've started learning so programming is new to me. I've struggled to learn via Udemy and YouTube because listening to someone explain it just doesn't land well with me. However reading lets me absorb it better. And this book is so well written, it explains it casually whilst also going into quite a bit of detail. The best part is that its written as one big game / RPG system with levelling up which really encourages you to not only keep track of where you are but also encourages you to progress and get to the next level and learn more. Highly recommend.
K**C
Don't judge a book....
The cover on this book isn't that great, but please don't be put of by that, as I nearly was, because the content is wonderful (there's an adage hiding somewhere there!).This is my first foray into C#, but I have read many other programming books for other languages. I found this book informative, easy to read, the writing is clear and easy to access (without being distractingly over-friendly or simplistic), the chapters and "try it out" sections are just the right length (in terms of time requirements), and perhaps most importantly, the structure of explaining each part of the language was logical and never overbearing.I imagine this book will work well for both beginners and those coming from other languages alike. The first few chapters cover the basics (as you would expect), each section and chapter starts with a "nutshell box", which describes in very brief detail everything the chapter will cover. This certainly helps those familiar with some of the basics and wanting to rush through (personally, I chose to read through each chapter. Things are explained clearly and succinctly, so even retreading old ground never felt tiresome).Another neat idea; rather than ignore complicated topics or information that may confuse a beginner, the author frequently offers pointers to deeper chapters/pages within early chapters. Those starting out can safely ignore these pointers, while those who want deeper information on a topic can take a brief detour. I won't pretend to speak for everyone, but for myself, ideas and information were imparted at the correct pace, always challenging, but never going overboard and without getting too confusing.This is a really good book. I'll certainly be looking out for more guides by RB Whitaker.
N**E
Starts so well, then fades somewhat...
Parts 1 and 2 on the basics are very, very good - 5 stars. Part 3 onwards (about one third of the way through) nose-dives into a generally 3 star standard.A great deal of effort has clearly gone into explaining the basics of the language in Parts 1 and 2 - programming in general, variables, arrays, conditions, loops and the like - and there's a particularly good explanation of the difference between 'reference variables' and 'value variables' and the use of the stack/heap, perhaps the clearest I've ever read.But from Part 3 onwards, starting with object orientation, the explanations are not so clear; re-inforcing examples are less frequent; and there are many sentences (perhaps even dozens) that have simply not been checked for grammar. It's meant that I've had to look up a lot of stuff online before I've understood it, although perversely I've probably learnt more thoroughly that way because I've had to work hard to get the information!My overall feel is that this is a very good writer, with a flair for explaining things well. In fact there ARE spots from part 3 onwards where you the original inspired writing. But something went wrong. Maybe he ran out of time, or some over-zealous editor chopped half his examples away to squeeze it into 300-odd pages.For £18.98 I'd more or less recommend it, but with the caveat that you should be prepared to put a lot of work in yourself to tease out full information about object orientation and advanced topics generally.
L**S
The best for Beginning C# or any programming
Must have book for anyone beginning C# or looking to learn any basic principles of Programming and OOP. Small enough to be useful & carry in bag as well as desk reference, if you sometimes forget your basic training like me.Quality of the book is great too, pages nice and thick with a strong spine. I have hammered the s*** into this book, at one point folding it into a scroll to fit it in my overfilled bag.And it still going strong! if only all programming books took into account size, quality, & weight when travelling or going to uni.
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