Rating:  - Well-organized, comprehensive introduction to ASP.NET 3.5
I am using this text as the basis for a university-level business web application development course. It is a better introduction to ASP.NET 3.5 than any textbook I have found. The chapters unfold logically, each new skill building on the last. The prose is clear and relaxed. The code examples are correct and clearly presented. Imar has used the same organization and logic skills needed for good programming to produce an excellent book!
Rating:  - Nice tutorial, with good forum backup
This is a good hands-on tutorial. The author will walk you through an operation, and then explain how it works. I like that approach.
The online resources provided to accompany the book have been very helpful to me. When you start working through a new chapter, you might find it a good idea to start with the official source code provided for the previous one, instead of relying on the results of your own work, especially if you skip some of the exercises.
There is an online forum for the book, and the author and the editor do a great job of answering questions.
To fully benefit from the code-intensive examples in the book, you may want to study C# or VB in its own right as well. If you have no knowledge of programming languages at all, you might find the book a little hard to understand.
The book could benefit from some more editing, which is why I have only given it four stars. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn ASP.NET 3.5.
Rating: - Web Developer
Recieved book in excellent condition! The book is very organized and very constructive in teaching me what I need to learn in a step-by-step manner. I very much recommend this book!
Rating: - Great Start for ASP.NET
I think this is a great start for anyone looking to get into ASP.NET. The entire book takes you through creating a professional-looking website. The book was very well thought out and I have yet to see any errors. I've found the author to be very responsive on the WROX website, as well.
Rating: - Finally, an ASP.NET book worth its cost
I've picked up copies of Beginning ASP.NET 2.0; Build Your Own ASP.NET 2.0 Web Site Using C# & VB; Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 E-Commerce in C# 2005 From Novice to Professional; and Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 Step by Step (the only one I can recommend). With all of these, I struggled to read them and didn't feel as though I learned much, or in the case of the last, failed to get much more than an overview of ASP.NET (albeit a good one).
However, with Imar Spaanjaars' book, I finally feel comfortable with ASP.NET 3.5.
In this book Imar works through the steps of creating of an actual, fully-functional, ASP.NET 3.5 Web site, that's actually not that bad (ignoring some questionable design).
Unlike other books, Imar covers both the Express and commercial versions of Visual Studio, in a very unobtrusive way. In addition, Imar doesn't rely solely on the ASP.NET components, but gives a good deal of actual programming, in both C# and VB (in a very clean, comfortable, way).
While it's true that he references a number of other Wrox books, such as Professional ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer), there is very little that needs to be examined to get a site up and running, that would suit the majority of business needs.
Overall, my faith in the ability of Web developers to write good books has been restored by this tome (and at over 700 pages, tome it is). A Web developer Imar is, and to us, as equals, is to whom he speaks. This is clearly seen in his summaries and tips, at the end of each chapter.
I give this book 5 stars of 5. If you've read the other books and been left sad, confused, and/or angry, this is the volume to pick up.
Note: I will be reading this book twice, once I've finished with Professional ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer). There is so much in this book that bears repeating, and many things that I'm sure I missed in my first read, since it's so full of (valuable) information.
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