Got an extra $3000 laying around? That's about what it would cost you - not including expenses - to attend eight tutorials even close to the quality that you get in this one book. And it wouldn't be close to as much fun! Karl Moore has written an eight ring circus of a book that starts with (pinching from countryman Douglas Adams), "Programming, Visual Basic, and Everything" and runs through the most popular and needed topics in VB.NET.

Moore's style is way out on one end of the "chatty and conversational scale." Here's a sample from the first tutorial:

"Smashing. You should now have your form back in front of you. So, ready to rumble? Let's strut our stuff."

I think this kind of writing is helpful, especially to beginners. But to make your own judgement, you might want to check out a one of the tutorials in the book that also happens to be on his online site, VB-World, "Going Mobile". The version in the book is revised and more complete, however.

This is a book for people who hate to read books. Moore makes it fast, fun, and friendly and you wake up at the end of a tutorial suddenly knowing VB!

Applications: Crystal, ASP.NET, SQL Server

About the Author

I like this guy's style! He puts the "ph" in "anglophile". Karl Moore is a technology author living in Yorkshire, England. He runs White Cliff Computing and the online site, VB-World (see the review). But how can you trust him? He claims not to have a social life but then he tells you about swapping stories and having ice cream in Barcelona with both APress co-founders. England could solve their national debt just by taxing him for the excess fun he has.