Rating:  - A highly recommended instructional and reference
The focus of .NET and COM: The Complete Interoperability Guide is on COM Interoperability, and the heart of the discussion is broken down by computer expert Adam Nathan into six parts: Using COM Components In .NET Applications; Using .NET Components in COM Applications; Designing Good .NET Framework Components for COM Clients; Designing Good COM Components for .NET Framework Clients; Platform Invocation Services (P/ Invoke); COM+ and DCOM in the .NET Framework. The scope of .NET and COM includes all aspects of using "unmanaged code" in the .NET Framework. Technologies built on top of COM Interoperability are also presented including: Interoperability of Windows Forms Controls and ActiveX controls; Interoperability with COM+; and Interoperability with Distributed COM (DCOM). Although Platform Invocation Services is a separate technology from COM Interoperability, there are many areas of overlap, so including it in .NET and COM is a natural fit. All of these technologies are a core part of the Common Language Runtime and .NET Framework, and will likely be used not only as the path of migration for existing software projects, but for brand new software development for the next several years. .NET and COM is a highly recommended instructional and reference for intermediate level users. 1608pp.
Rating: - There is no other book covering a topic so well
Moving to .NET doesn't mean throwing away your COM code. Integrating the 2 worlds (managed and unmanaged) is achieved via COM Interoperability and there are 2 main scenarios:
1. Writing .NET clients that use COM servers
2. Writing .NET servers to be used by COM clients
This 1500 pager is split into 9 parts containing 24 chapters and 6 appendices. In my opinion, the heart of this work lies in parts 2-5 (650 pages, 14 chapters) that thoroughly detail how to write perfect .NET components for COM clients, COM components for .NET clients, .NET clients for COM components and COM clients for .NET components. Trust me (and anyone that has read this book), there is absolutely nothing else left to be said about the topic.
The remaining 3 parts cover PInvoke (talking to Win32 dlls), advanced topics such as custom marshaling and two comprehensive examples. The quality throughout is of the highest level. It is a joy to read and full of technical information, a lot of it not found anywhere else. Own this book and forget the online help or any internet sites when it comes to interoperability.
The examples used throughout the book are not overly complex or academic or basic; they are just right. Such a balance is hard to strike. What is also hard to find is a book that treats both VB & C++ developers equally. Many authors will benefit by reading Nathan's writings to learn how to achieve that. Whether you plan to write C# or VB.NET code and whether your COM components were written in C++ or VB6 you will not feel left out or bored going through the chapters.
Although large, it can be read linearly and it will definitely serve as a reference text on your shelf. I particularly enjoyed the sidebars (categorised as FAQ, Digging Deeper, Tip, and Caution) which are full of golden information. I could go on praising it but suffice to say that it could easily be sold with money-back guarantee and not a single book would be returned.
Rating: - A must-have for anyone serious about .NET
This is an amazing reference book for COM and P/Invoke interop (i.e. Win32 interop), an essential topic that most .NET books don't cover well enough. It's essential if you're migrating to .NET, or even if you're writing a non-trivial .NET application from scratch since the .NET Framework has many holes in functionality that must be filled by using interop.
I was skeptical because I've had bad luck with Sams books in the past, but this book is wonderful! It's incredibly thorough, complete, and has lots of useful examples and great sidebars. The author's expertise really shines through... It covers things I couldn't find anywhere else (and I've looked at other Interop books) such as an in-depth treatment of custom marshaling, and I really enjoyed the last chapter with Windows Media Player that demonstrated how to expose existing COM APIs as brand new .NET-looking APIs with very little code.
The chapters are self-contained, clearly organized, and jam-packed with information. I swear, each page I learned something new, and that's a lot of pages! It answered all of my questions and doubts about .NET interop. I can't imagine doing .NET programming without this book.
Rating: - The Best
As our company faced the daunting task involved with moving to the .net environment and getting it to work with com we felt challenged, to say the least. Mr. Nathan's book was essential to guiding us thru the forest.
Thank you Mr. Nathan for a great book :)
Rating: - Great Book for Everyone
I feel a bit uncomfortable writing a review for a tech-book, but I just had to weigh in and express my feelings about this book. I thought this book was incredible. Unbelievably clear and accurate, this book takes you through interop step by step. The book is completely thorough, and leaves nothing to the imagination. Whoever wrote this book obviously demonstrates a degree of mastery of the subject matter not often expressed by even the top computer science gurus. Although his expertise greatly exceeds my own, I was never confused, nor did I feel as if I was being talked down to. I was happy to finally find a comprehensive interop book that I can understand. I highly recommend this book to everyone ... even to people that are smarter than myself.
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