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Home > Archive > microsoft.public.cert.exam.mcsd > November 2002 > MSPress Certification Training Kit is Very Poor Quality
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MSPress Certification Training Kit is Very Poor Quality
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| I just recently bought the self-paced training kit for
exam 70-316/306 (Win based apps w/C# and vb.net), this
book is full of errors and completely incorrect
statements, In the first 3 chapters I found 4 glaring
errors, one of which was a completely false statement that
is just nuts. I think it is completely irresponsible for
Microsoft to allow such poor quality books to be published
in thier name especially when the book is meant to prepare
people for difficult certification exams.
Here they are (the last one is the worst);
These are just what I found in the first 3 chapters, I
won't be bothering to read the rest of this sad text.
MSPress Developing Windows-Based Applications with
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET
Training Kit for Exams 70-306 and 70-316.
Page 55:
In regards to the Form.Show method, the book states "This
method causes an instance of a form class to load into
memory...". This is wrong, the constructor call with the
new statement loads the object instance into memory; The
Form.Show method when called for the first time actually
tells Windows to create the physical window and display it
on the screen, you can use the instantiated object and set
properties etc. before you call the Show method, for
example:
DialogForm myForm = new DialogForm();
myForm.BackColor = Color.White;
myForm.Show();
Page 60:
A code example to abort a form closing in the Form.Closing
event is written as follows;
VB.Net:
CancelEventArgs.Cancel = True
and C#:
CancelEventArgsCancel = true;
This code wouldn't even compile because it uses the type
name rather than the actual argument and should be:
e.Cancel = true;
Page 113:
At the begining of the book on Page 9 a Note
states "Throughout this book, when Visual Basic and C#
terms are mentioned together in text, the VB term appears
first, followed by the C# term in parenthesis." Which the
book follows until page 113 (last paragraph) where they
have: "Parse is a static(Shared) method,..." which of
course should be "Parse is a Shared(static) method,..".
Page 133:
In regards to Read-Only properties, the book states: "In
both languages, the private variable that holds the
property value must be marked with the ReadOnly(readonly)
keyword." and they state it again later in the
instructions list to create a read-only property: "1.
Create a private readonly member variable to hold the
property value." The underlying field that a readonly
property exposes does not have to be readonly itself, this
is completely ridiculous but is something that a green
developer probably wouldn't catch, which also
makes it insidious.
| |
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| I noticed several myself. I don't know what page, but towards the beginning
where it is explaining how to write a function in vb, the function is
rediculously incorrect. They really should have focused on one language.
"ToddB" <todd.bellamy@tdsautomotive.com> wrote in message
news:b7a601c28442$c4bfd750$35e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA11...
> I just recently bought the self-paced training kit for
> exam 70-316/306 (Win based apps w/C# and vb.net), this
> book is full of errors and completely incorrect
> statements, In the first 3 chapters I found 4 glaring
> errors, one of which was a completely false statement that
> is just nuts. I think it is completely irresponsible for
> Microsoft to allow such poor quality books to be published
> in thier name especially when the book is meant to prepare
> people for difficult certification exams.
>
> Here they are (the last one is the worst);
> These are just what I found in the first 3 chapters, I
> won't be bothering to read the rest of this sad text.
>
> MSPress Developing Windows-Based Applications with
> Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET
> Training Kit for Exams 70-306 and 70-316.
>
> Page 55:
> In regards to the Form.Show method, the book states "This
> method causes an instance of a form class to load into
> memory...". This is wrong, the constructor call with the
> new statement loads the object instance into memory; The
> Form.Show method when called for the first time actually
> tells Windows to create the physical window and display it
> on the screen, you can use the instantiated object and set
> properties etc. before you call the Show method, for
> example:
> DialogForm myForm = new DialogForm();
> myForm.BackColor = Color.White;
> myForm.Show();
>
> Page 60:
> A code example to abort a form closing in the Form.Closing
> event is written as follows;
> VB.Net:
> CancelEventArgs.Cancel = True
> and C#:
> CancelEventArgsCancel = true;
> This code wouldn't even compile because it uses the type
> name rather than the actual argument and should be:
> e.Cancel = true;
>
> Page 113:
> At the begining of the book on Page 9 a Note
> states "Throughout this book, when Visual Basic and C#
> terms are mentioned together in text, the VB term appears
> first, followed by the C# term in parenthesis." Which the
> book follows until page 113 (last paragraph) where they
> have: "Parse is a static(Shared) method,..." which of
> course should be "Parse is a Shared(static) method,..".
>
> Page 133:
> In regards to Read-Only properties, the book states: "In
> both languages, the private variable that holds the
> property value must be marked with the ReadOnly(readonly)
> keyword." and they state it again later in the
> instructions list to create a read-only property: "1.
> Create a private readonly member variable to hold the
> property value." The underlying field that a readonly
> property exposes does not have to be readonly itself, this
> is completely ridiculous but is something that a green
> developer probably wouldn't catch, which also
> makes it insidious.
>
| |
| Gregor Suttie 2002-11-05, 2:23 am |
| Well spotted guys.
On that note does anyone want to buy my copy - I'm through with it and will
sell it. (im in the UK)
Cheers
Gregor
"Ken" <123@123.com> wrote in message news:uMsG0HFhCHA.1572@tkmsftngp09...
> I noticed several myself. I don't know what page, but towards the
beginning
> where it is explaining how to write a function in vb, the function is
> rediculously incorrect. They really should have focused on one language.
> "ToddB" <todd.bellamy@tdsautomotive.com> wrote in message
> news:b7a601c28442$c4bfd750$35e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA11...
> > I just recently bought the self-paced training kit for
> > exam 70-316/306 (Win based apps w/C# and vb.net), this
> > book is full of errors and completely incorrect
> > statements, In the first 3 chapters I found 4 glaring
> > errors, one of which was a completely false statement that
> > is just nuts. I think it is completely irresponsible for
> > Microsoft to allow such poor quality books to be published
> > in thier name especially when the book is meant to prepare
> > people for difficult certification exams.
> >
> > Here they are (the last one is the worst);
> > These are just what I found in the first 3 chapters, I
> > won't be bothering to read the rest of this sad text.
> >
> > MSPress Developing Windows-Based Applications with
> > Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET
> > Training Kit for Exams 70-306 and 70-316.
> >
> > Page 55:
> > In regards to the Form.Show method, the book states "This
> > method causes an instance of a form class to load into
> > memory...". This is wrong, the constructor call with the
> > new statement loads the object instance into memory; The
> > Form.Show method when called for the first time actually
> > tells Windows to create the physical window and display it
> > on the screen, you can use the instantiated object and set
> > properties etc. before you call the Show method, for
> > example:
> > DialogForm myForm = new DialogForm();
> > myForm.BackColor = Color.White;
> > myForm.Show();
> >
> > Page 60:
> > A code example to abort a form closing in the Form.Closing
> > event is written as follows;
> > VB.Net:
> > CancelEventArgs.Cancel = True
> > and C#:
> > CancelEventArgsCancel = true;
> > This code wouldn't even compile because it uses the type
> > name rather than the actual argument and should be:
> > e.Cancel = true;
> >
> > Page 113:
> > At the begining of the book on Page 9 a Note
> > states "Throughout this book, when Visual Basic and C#
> > terms are mentioned together in text, the VB term appears
> > first, followed by the C# term in parenthesis." Which the
> > book follows until page 113 (last paragraph) where they
> > have: "Parse is a static(Shared) method,..." which of
> > course should be "Parse is a Shared(static) method,..".
> >
> > Page 133:
> > In regards to Read-Only properties, the book states: "In
> > both languages, the private variable that holds the
> > property value must be marked with the ReadOnly(readonly)
> > keyword." and they state it again later in the
> > instructions list to create a read-only property: "1.
> > Create a private readonly member variable to hold the
> > property value." The underlying field that a readonly
> > property exposes does not have to be readonly itself, this
> > is completely ridiculous but is something that a green
> > developer probably wouldn't catch, which also
> > makes it insidious.
> >
>
>
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| Alan Davis 2002-11-05, 2:23 am |
| It's a shame that microsoft press don't put the same effort into
writing 'training books' as they do with many of their more technical
books.
I've not seen the .net training books, but if they contain 1/2 as many
errors and incorrect facts as the other books I've seen, it must be
bad!
| |
| Alan Davis 2002-11-05, 2:23 am |
| Was it not you that posted a review on Amazon.co.uk stating it was a
good book? I was almost tempted to review it!!!
| |
| Gregor Suttie 2002-11-12, 1:23 am |
| It was Alan - that was after my first look at the book - looked really
good - after having sat the exam and then reviewing the book I changed my
mind.
"Alan Davis" <.> wrote in message
news:s3vesugd3crij0dfrdoj28pco
4srv3vv01@4ax.com...
> Was it not you that posted a review on Amazon.co.uk stating it was a
> good book? I was almost tempted to review it!!!
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