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.NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference Volume 2, $69.99
by Brad Abrams and Tamara Abrams
Addison-Wesley, 2005
473 pages
Examples in C#
ISBN 0-321-19445-4
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN//0321194454/larkware-20
This is the second (and final) volume of the definitive guide to the parts of the .NET Framework that are in the ECMA standard, covering the networking library, reflection library, and XML library. As a first approximation, you can think of it as a sort of supercharged MSDN library. It has the same general sort of arrangement, covering .NET namespaces, types, and members. But it does so in considerably more detail, and with considerably more care. For instance, you'll find a reasonably illuminating sample program for every single type covered here, together with its output. You'll find the members for each type listed with notes as to which ones are part of the standard, and which are Microsoft-proprietary extensions. And, perhaps most valuable, you'll find reasonably extensive commentary from members of the .NET Framework design team and the standards committee. The result is a book which explains the part of the Framework it covers in substantial depth, and which offers a good deal of insight as to how the pieces fit together.
Also of note here is the CD-ROM. Unlike many other book CDs, this one really does add substantial value to the printed volume. Not only does it contain the full source code for all of the samples in the book, it also extends the detailed documentation from the type level (which is all that's printed) right down to the member level - the net result being to give you a 1900-page version of the book as a PDF file. Put this together with the similar coverage on volume 1's CD, and you end up with about 6,000 pages of detailed design documentation - probably more than you'll ever wade through, but useful when you really need the details of what's going on in a particular type. The series also serves as an object lesson as to just how hard framework design really is; the comments from the designers make it clear that even after a multi-year effort with tons of reviews, there are many areas where they ended up making the wrong decisions.
Do you really need to spend the $135 cover price on these books (there's little point to owning volume 2 unless you're also going to buy volume 1)? In all honesty, probably not. Most .NET developers will never need more detail than they can find in MSDN, which is freely available online. But there will be times when these little nitpicks are useful to know, and I'd say that any company with a serious .NET design team ought to have copies in the corporate library. Besides, the annotations are just plain fun to read (well, if you're the sort of person who finds anything about computer programming fun). And if your company doesn't have a corporate library - well, what are you doing working for such cheapskates?
Mike Gunderloy is the lead developer for Larkware and author of numerous books and articles on programming topics.
Published September 12, 2005