In general, there are two kinds of computer trade books: those that focus on a very specific topic, such as building custom WinForm controls; and those that cover a more general topic, such as learning C#, or mastering ASP.NET. Those more general books tend to be quite lengthy, understandably, as they must cover a wide swath of material. Programming Visual Basic 2005 (O'Reilly Publishing, $39.95, 548 pages), by Jesse Liberty, is an exception to this rule. Programming Visual Basic 2005 tackles Windows and Web application development, as well as introducing new Visual Basic 2005 features, in a relatively scant 548 pages.
The book's low page count is due in large part to the author's insistence in leaving out all but the most important information, which he makes abundantly clear in the introduction: "I'm not going to waste your time. You won't find a long treatise on why .NET is great. … I'm not going to [fill] pages with material that is otherwise freely available." There is even a "What I Threw Away" section highlighting those chapters that the author considered, but pitched.
Programming Visual Basic 2005 is geared toward the intermediate developer who has past experience with Visual Basic, but needs to quickly learn how to create Windows and Web applications with Visual Basic 2005. The first third of the book examines programming Windows applications and includes chapters on designing forms, accessing data, using GDI+, and working with legacy COM controls. The next third of the book focuses on building Web applications and explores ASP.NET basics, validation controls, master pages, working with data, personalization, and web services. The book concludes with a look at Visual Studio 2005, Visual Basic fundamentals, generics, and a discussion on object-oriented programming.
While the book does walk the reader through building numerous examples, due to its brevity it doesn't explore the full features available or discuss subtle side-effects. Nor does it include discussions on common pitfalls and how to correct such problems. In other words, the book assumes that if you hit a snag in one of the examples, you will have the patience and know-how needed to be able to research and find a workaround on your own. In short, Programming Visual Basic 2005 offers only an overview of building Windows and Web applications with Visual Basic, trusting the reader to be able to locate and assimilate any additional information needed on their own.
Readers who are looking for a quick introduction to new features in Windows and Web development with Visual Basic without the usual bloat will find Jesse Liberty's book a breath of fresh air. Those who seek a more detailed examination will need to keep looking.