Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: Not enough for exam preparation
Comment: The content in this book is definitely not enough for exam preparation. After reading the entire book word to work I would say It only prepared me 60%. Rest of the information I need to get it from other sources mainly from MSDN help. The good part I found is it outlines exam objectives very well so that you can do you additional readings from other source but that you can also get from exam prep guide in microsoft website. I still recommend this book becuase I don't see any better option.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Book for a Study Guide
Comment: Some of the reviews for this book are far too harsh. I do agree that the first version of the book had numerous errors, but the second version corrected most of them. I used this book as my primary study guide for the 70-536 exam and I passed the exam easily. I considered using an alternative practice exam solution, but the software that came with the book was adequate, and in some instances, more difficult than the actual exam.
With that being said, I too agree that this book alone will (most likely) not enable you to pass the exam. This book is a *study guide*, not a *cheat sheet*. The goal of the book is to introduce you to exam topics and prepare you to solve exam problems using the .NET Framework App Foundation. This book is intended for candidates that have experience with previous or current versions of the Framework, who wish to condition that knowledge to pass an exam. The authors inform you of what level of skills you should have at the beginning of every chapter.
As with any technical book, it can use a little work. Chapter 9 'Installing Applications' should be considered for revision to flow better for the reader. But even with it's choppy flow, the information in chapter 9 is quite useful.
In summary; I read it, I passed, I'd recommend it.
-Grant
Customer Rating:
Summary: gr8
Comment: It's a gr8 product, the only setback was that Microsoft has just one book for VB as well as C# coders, so half of the book is useless for me
Customer Rating:
Summary: Context Challenged
Comment: I am a Java programmer with no background in .Net, so I thought I would try to get certified as a way to learn the subject matter in a comprehensive manner. This book is not a good introduction to creating applications for Windows for a couple of reasons. First, much of the information in this book is badly out of context. For example, the first lab in Chapter 9 gives complete, detailed instructions on how to create a project in Microsoft Visual Studio. This lab would have been more useful as the first lab in the first chapter (obviously). In addition, many security related items are brought up in early chapters, but discussion of them is deferred to Chapter 11. Second, the book assumes familiarity with Windows concepts or products without explanation (which, in a "Foundation" book, I believe it shouldn't do). A discussion on remote components assumes a familiarity with IIS. I have finished chapters on Application Domains and Services and Installing and Configuring Applications and I still don't have a good idea of what a .dll file is, or how to actually create a componentized application.
That said, the book is not a total loss, it just requires considerable effort on the part of a novice to understand the information.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good enough to help me pass the test, about all
Comment: After reading this book cover to cover and taking the practice test many, many times I was able to pass the test on my first try.
What really pissed me off (along with my co-workers) is the amount of errors both in the book and the practice test. The book has so many typo's and errors the there is 2 (yea TWO) knowledge base articles for the errata. About 15% of the practice test questions (out of 300+) were just WRONG. Either the answers were not correct, or there were no correct answers.
Ok, enough of the rant. Like I said, this book did help me to pass the test, so for that I give it 3 stars. Had i failed the test it would have been more like 1 star.
Take that for what it is. Since this is the ONLY book for the test, you are kinda stuck... Just be ready for errors and frustration.
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