September 2008 - Posts
I typically post reviews of books based on technology topics like .NET, LINQ, etc. but I thought this book would be a could fit for the site. This book is about creating effective PowerPoint slides which many technology professionals, like myself, do on a regular basis. On to the review...
The author breaks up the book into multiple chapters but not your typically kind of chapters. These chapters are about the different parts that make up a slide; graphics, displaying data, diagrams, use of movement, etc. Each chapter is typically closed with a Case Study which demonstrates the use of the technic or recommend. This is done by showing a before and after presentation. The author also reinforces her points effectively by using graphics, colors and illustrations.
The book is chock full of handy tips and suggestions that anyone can use to create dazzling and effective PowerPoint slides. If you present using PowerPoint, this is a must have.
I think the expression is "don't cry over spilled milk...", well when my son spilled milk on this book I almost cried. Why would you cry over a book you ask? There are many reasons. Not only does the book go into LINQ in depth (I know there is a C# in Depth
book) but the authors cover all of the parts of the .NET framework that were created and needed for LINQ to function. In addition, all of the samples provided are both in C# and VB.NET. These samples are not your basic "Hello World" samples but useful reusable code snippets that get the point of the book section across.
The book starts of with an introduction to LINQ and the different versions of LINQ to xxx, more than enough to wet your whistle. The authors then go into the prerequisites of the .NET framework required, generics, anonymous types and lambda expressions. This chapter was so good I read it twice. The third chapter discusses how LINQ is made up. After this, the authors go in depth in describing the different types of LINQ, including LINQ to SQL, LINQ to Objects and LINQ to Amazon with useful examples.
This book will be a reference book on my book shelf. I expect to refer to this book constantly.
Some of the highlights...
- Support for VS 2008 SP1
- Better ASP.NET support
- Performance improvements
- Stability improvements and bugfixes
Stats:
- Bugs Fixed: 232
- Cosmetic Issues Fixed: 10
- Exceptions Fixed: 653
- New Features: 15
- Performance Problems addressed: 4
- Usability Problems addressed: 8
Check out the release notes at http://www.jetbrains.com/resharper/releaseNotes41.html.
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