.NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference Volume 2: Networking Library, Reflection Library, and XML Library

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.NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference Volume 2:Networking Library, Reflection Library, and XML Library

Reference titles are nothing new, and often elicit littleanticipation by most readers. In fact, reading most reference books is asinteresting as watching paint dry. What a relief it was for me, then, to dispelthat prejudice after reading the second volume of.NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference. In this book,authors Brad Abrams and his wife Tamara present invaluable detail about theNetworking, Reflection, and XML libraries that it spotlights, all the whileinjecting intelligent annotations into the real-world application of many ofthe classes examined. Such annotated insights have been supplied by 18 membersof the Microsoft .NET development community (many of whom are members of the.NET design team), including Suzanne Cook, Mark Fussell, Chris Lovett, JoelPobar, and even Borland Corporation s Chief Scientist, Danny Thorpe.

The book progresses through all the classes of thefeatured libraries, which are both .NET Framework 1.x and 2.0, and CompactFramework-applicable. Thus, unlike some .NET Framework references, this bookwill stay longer on a reader s shelf. After a brief introductory overview, theauthors dissect the class libraries of the System,System.Collection.Specialized, System.Globalization, System.Net,System.Reflection, System.Runtime.CompilerServices,System.Runtime.InteropServices, System.Security.Permissions, and System.Xmlnamespaces.

Each of the featured classes are presented in the samerigid template format: the class name, a diagram showing parent classrelationships, a single-sentence summary, a type summary showing theconstructors and public fields, properties and methods, comments for some ofthe more notable classes by one of the book s annotators, a two- or three-paragraphdescription of the class, a working example exclusively presented in C# syntax,and finally, the expected output of that code sample.

While this may sound like an anesthetic readingexperience, the book escapes that stereotype with its clear class descriptionsand its brief code examples this most certainly is attributable to itsannotator contributions. In fact, those grey boxes changed the book from beinga dry reference to a priceless package of insightful experience from some ofthe most knowledgeable .NET experts in the business. These comments alsobrought a warm human perspective to the otherwise cold content. One of myfavorite examples of this was annotator Joel Marcey s recollection of theearthquake that hit the Seattlearea in February of 2001. While there was no direct correlation between hisstory and the System.XML Formatting Enum that was associated with his comment,reading it made me visualize what his CLR meeting with Intel and HP must havebeen like that day. Remarkably, his recollection helped me remember much more easilythose XML Formatting Enums.

The book also bundles a CD-ROM that drives home thedelivered value further with its expanded version of the book; its gold mine ofarchived code examples is an easily searchable, and invaluable, source. This iswhat any CD-ROM accompanying a book should offer.

The Abrams duo has done a bang-up job with this book,providing both substance and style inside an information-rich reference. I can twait to see what s in store for Volume 3!

Mike Riley

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Title: .NET Framework Standard Library AnnotatedReference, Volume 2

Author: BradAbrams, Tamara Abrams

Publisher: Addison-Wesley

ISBN: 0-321-19445-4

Web Site: http://www.aw-bc.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0321194454,00.html

Price: US$69.99

Page Count: 512pages