Book Review: Sams Teach Yourself Visual Basic 2008 in 24 Hours

Programming languages is a taboo for the common computer users. This book shows you the way to your first steps in programming and software developing with Visual Basic 2008. It has an easy language and it doesn't bothers you with difficult programming terms. It focuses in Windows application development with .NET Framework 3.2 so that it doesn't gives you the opportunity for developing software for other operating system or platforms but for a start it's over-sufficient.

It starts by explaining you the basics around Visual Basic and it continues showing you the Visual Basic's syntax, vocabulary and grammar by creating a small but usefull application to preview images (PictureViewer). In this way, it keeps your interest and it doesn't let you get bored. It covers a wide-variety of things around Visual Basic such as; form designing, registry functions, communication with Microsoft Office and MySQL etc.

About the time the book says you 'll need to finish it, in my opinion it is insufficient and you can't master Visual Basic in only 24 hours. Although this book drives you through developing an application I think that the best way to master the things that book says, is to create your own small and simple application after you have read the book. In my case, I created a simple click-counter application (ClickMania). The book comes with a DVD including Microsoft Visual Basic Express 2008 but you can download the new version (2010) from Microsoft's website.    It has photos and tips facilitating your life and an illustrated cover. 

I'd strongly recommend that book to anyone who wants to get introduced to programming and Visual Basic.

You can buy it by Amazon Store: http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Visual-Basic-Hours/dp/0672329840