Rating:  - Perfect for beginners!
A lot of people are interested in C# now thanks to XNA Games Studio Express and a lot of us have never programmed before. I sat at the book store and read the first few chapters of every C# book I could find and this one is by far the best for beginners like me. I'm through chapter 4 now and realize that if you're looking for a starting point with C#, this is it! It's clear, simple and seemingly written for idiots like me. :)
Rating: - Great programming book but ...
The book is very easy to follow. The first chapters are really
for beginners. But I regret that the classes methods are explained with
trigonomety examples not that easy to follow even if the explanations
are there. Also it will have been a better idea to explain objects , classes first then later try to explain a class method class. The book is nice but most of the examples use by the author are maths examples and trigonometry, the last think i was expecting is a trigonometry example to explain to me how a method works. Easier method can b e found in : C# 2005 for dummies. Actually the purchase of both books good be a wise idea.
Rating:  - Not even for the intermediate programmer.
Petzold's 'Programming in the Key of C#' is absolutely for beginner programmers and is written with them in mind both in terms of style and content...sort of.
Late to the C# party, I decided to learn the language prior to a couple of new job interviews. I saw this and grabbed it, thinking it would be just what I'd need. Already knowing Java, C/C++, JavaScript and a bit a Visual Basic, I'm a bit disappointed that the subtitle isn't more specifically addressed to beginning programmers. Programming is a very large subject and all developers/programmers are each at his/her own level. We are all 'aspiring', aren't we? A 'primer' can be quite technical, but this one surely isn't and I blame myself for a wrong purchase -- I should have read a few more paragraphs prior to buying this book.
To wit, the book doesn't even begin discussing arrays (the most basic data structure of them all) until chapter 18. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but many beginning language books address arrays far, far earlier. It's difficult to learn much about a language's capabilities or learn much general information about programming without knowing about and having some experience with the array (specifically the ability to store objects and the ability to create dynamic data structures). The book doesn't even breach linked lists except for one quick mention in passing near the very end of the book. For another example, Petzold only gives one cursory example of recursion (the ubiquitous factorial program) and doesn't really go any deeper than that. Anyone who is an 'aspiring' (absolute beginning) programmer really should be given more than this when presented with such basic material.
Nonetheless, the writing is in a good, easy-to-read style and I've enjoyed skimming through it. Petzold presents background information about the language and uses real-life examples and good little toy programs to illustrate the programming concepts he is discussing. It's altogether a good, easy read. Most of the main topics needed for a very general understanding of the language are presented such as virtuality, inheritance/polymorphism, parameter passage, constructors, etc. and all in a logical sequence that builds up the reader's knowledge.
One serious flaw with this text is the lack of questions at the back of the chapters. In learning other langauges, I've found that a series of questions at the close of a text's chapters helps to hit home the concepts that chapter is teaching. Walter Savitch's Absolute C++ is a very good example of an excellent text that gives the reader much more in terms of small programming assignments, quiz questions, and review lists of terms and concepts.
Although I already know much of the material here, I'm giving this book only 3 stars not because its content is so simple; rather, it is too simplistic. Beginners need a thorough grounding. Since this is the audience for this text, I expect one can do better.
Rating:  - Learning the basics...
Programming in the key of C# aims to introduce the programming language, C#, at a basic level. It covers fundamentals of modern objective programming features such as namespaces, classes and instances. It also reassures readers of what basic data types are supported in C# which follows the footsteps of .NET Framework.
The book is more of a primer than specific (i.e., a book could be based on data structures or producing games). If you are looking to buy a book, and you are an elementary programmer you will find this book very very helpful in terms of learning C#. If you are a regular java, c and c++ developer you will also find this book somewhat helpful in terms of understanding some of the core technologies behind .NET Framework and C#'s language features. Otherwise, if you are looking for something that cover much more integral aspects of C# this book perhaps, isn't for you.
In prelude, it states that the author tried his/her best to avoid making assumptions about any prior programming experience - thus the coverage of some elementary level basics of modern objective programming features.
Rating: - Perfect starting place for VB'ers
Charles Petzold, a veteran of technical book writing, proves himself in this book (again) to be a brilliant teacher. At around 420 pages it's slim in comparison to other Microsoft text books. Part of the reason is that, concentrating solely on the C# language, no screen shots take up space that is more effectively used to explain key concepts of this language & how it fits into OOP. If you're a VB programmer, (as I was) looking to get into C#, this is a great starting point. It does begin at the beginning, (Variable types etc) but don't let this discourage you as there are some subtle differences that you need to learn about which could save confusion in the future, for example, that there is much less in the way of implicit conversion of certain types & this must be taken care of in code. However, this section is a brisk read, & Petzold's clear explanations are enlightening. He really makes it easy to understand how to use this language with some good examples throughout the book. There is nothing about the IDE or controls & just enough on the Framework, but what he does introduce, he explains in depth. This approach keeps his focus on the language which is what this book, after all, is all about.
You will need more once you've read this, but it's an excellent starting point, won't take you months to work through & most importantly, you will `understand' it at the end unlike other books which confuse the explanations with assumptions that you already know some C++.
If I have any problems with this book, it is only that he didn't cover Indexers & Delegate creation as these are not particularly difficult concepts & are important & I'm sure his explanations would have been excellent, but you'll will have to read further to learn about those. Developers coming from a C++ background may want to read something else which encompasses the framework, but for a VB'er, it's a perfect starting point & an excellent reference.
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