There are bad and good things about an "official" Microsoft Press book. The bad is that you just get the Microsoft "official" point of view. But the good is that you get the Microsoft "official" point of view.
For example, in the middle of page xvii of the Introduction, you're put on notice that the VB.NET Standard Edition included with this book doeshave a few things left out of it. But the list mentioned does not include the most important one (in my opinion): the lack of the ability to create class libraries!
What about that, Mike? Huh? Huh?
In their own books, Microsoft tends to "put the best possible spin on things". Well, worry not. We'll discuss how to get around this built-in limitation later in the course. And it's even legal!
But there is no doubt that the best sourceof help and information about Microsoft products is Microsoft. And one of the best ways to learn how to find things in their vast storehouse of knowledge (mainly, MSDN) is to learn their language. It's not always the same as an independent author's way of describing things. A Microsoft Press book helps you do that.
