Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Geek Culture / Good C# programming books for beginners?

Author
Message
Yodaman Jer
User Banned
Posted: 22nd Nov 2009 04:26
Link
Hey everyone,

Lately I've been trying to find a good book that teaches C#. At first I was considering "Head First C#", which sounded really cool until I read several reviews that quoted spelling errors typos directly from the book, and also said it wasn't as clear as it needed to be since it was geared towards beginners.

So, I'm just wondering if anybody can recommend any beginners books to C# programming to me? I'll give anybody who answers me a cup of coffee!

Thanks to any and all who respond!

"Life is like a basketball; it has its ups and downs, and it's always controlled by people who are taller and make more money than you."
-Omega Gamer 89
Back to top
Profile
BearCDP
15
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 7th Sep 2009
Location: NYC
Posted: 22nd Nov 2009 05:12
Link
Lately I've found the O'Reilly books to be very helpful. I tried reading the Head First book on object oriented design, but the "brain-friendly" style of it actually ended up being rather distracting for me.

I read this one in a Barnes and Noble for a while and it seemed very straightforward and clear:
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-C-3-0-ebook/dp/B0028N4WK6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258863001&sr=8-2

Game Design, Audio, and Music Blog
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Yodaman Jer
User Banned
Posted: 22nd Nov 2009 05:44
Link
Quote: "I tried reading the Head First book on object oriented design, but the "brain-friendly" style of it actually ended up being rather distracting for me."


Yeah, I saw that book at Barnes & Noble's tonight and grew excited about it, but when I got home and began researching it on the interwebs I found a ton of reviews that said there were many inaccurate examples and typos, as well as incomplete explanations for several things. Fail.

That book you linked to looks great, though! The lowest rating is four stars, and nobody mentions anything about typos and incomplete examples. Rather, they state exactly the opposite by saying the author goes in-depth and seems to genuinely care if the reader actually understands something or not. That's really, really cool and exactly what I need!

You have earned your cup of coffee!

"Life is like a basketball; it has its ups and downs, and it's always controlled by people who are taller and make more money than you."
-Omega Gamer 89
Back to top
Profile
Xarshi
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Dec 2005
Location: Ohio
Posted: 22nd Nov 2009 06:35
Link
You could always teach yourself. That's what I did. If you know C++ or any other OO language then you should be relatively well off. The only oddity for me was getting used to the way you use namespaces, but that only took me a whole five seconds to figure out.

I would suggest learning C++ first if you don't know it. If you plan on majoring in computer science when you reach college (or if you are there now?) then you should learn it. All commercial games you see today are programmed within C++. C++ isn't even difficult. Nor is C#. But the choice is up to you.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
Yodaman Jer
User Banned
Posted: 22nd Nov 2009 07:37
Link
Actually, I am teaching myself. I'm just having trouble comprehending stuff (and I won't get into that long-winded discussion, it's just too long!), which is why I'm looking for books. I'm going to combine efforts with learning via a book and website.

Also, I'm opting to learn C# because many people have recommended that I start with it. Sure, it might be a good idea to learn C++ in the long run, but I don't foresee myself becoming a programmer for a career. It'll be more of a hobby of mine, which is why I want to go for the easier-to-learn-and-use C#.

"Life is like a basketball; it has its ups and downs, and it's always controlled by people who are taller and make more money than you."
-Omega Gamer 89
Back to top
Profile
Jeku
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Jul 2003
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 22nd Nov 2009 07:48 Edited at: 22nd Nov 2009 07:49
Link
Buying a book is the right thing to do. Don't listen to those who say you should learn by yourself and not use any reference books I have shelves full of reference text books because you never know when they can come in handy, especially if you're somewhere without an internet connection and need to look something up.

I've found people who learn 100% on their own often usually aren't doing it "properly", but that's just my own experience.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Yodaman Jer
User Banned
Posted: 23rd Nov 2009 00:59
Link
I just read that the 4th edition of "Head First C#" has a lot of corrected material (43 pages worth!), so maybe I'll still give that
one a shot in the long run. That, combined with "Learning C# 3.0" and "Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Step by Step" should really be enough to get me off of the ground, eh?

@Jeku:

Would you happen to know of any good C# programming books? Just curious, I'm trying to get as much info as I possibly can.

"Life is like a basketball; it has its ups and downs, and it's always controlled by people who are taller and make more money than you."
-Omega Gamer 89
Back to top
Profile
Xarshi
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Dec 2005
Location: Ohio
Posted: 23rd Nov 2009 02:43
Link
Quote: "Buying a book is the right thing to do. Don't listen to those who say you should learn by yourself and not use any reference books I have shelves full of reference text books because you never know when they can come in handy, especially if you're somewhere without an internet connection and need to look something up.

I've found people who learn 100% on their own often usually aren't doing it "properly", but that's just my own experience."

Lol, I just said you could I taught myself then took classes on it, but I guess I was lucky because I was doing everything right. I'll fully admit, having a book would have made my life MUCH easier when I was learning object oriented programming.

So, yes, do get a book or possibly take a class on the subject. Especially if you plan on going into computer science in the future.

As for good C# books, I have been curious myself. I never formally learned C#, only C++ and Java. I have been looking but haven't really come across any good books for C#.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
BearCDP
15
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 7th Sep 2009
Location: NYC
Posted: 23rd Nov 2009 06:54
Link
Ooh, maybe I'll check out the new Head First book then.

And thank you for the coffee . . . I'm going to need it

Game Design, Audio, and Music Blog
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Jeku
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Jul 2003
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 23rd Nov 2009 19:29
Link
Quote: "Would you happen to know of any good C# programming books? Just curious, I'm trying to get as much info as I possibly can."


For C# I sadly don't have any reference books. I took classes in University and lost the books over the years. Now if I need to figure something out I use Google.

I do have a few XNA books, though


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Diggsey
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 24th Apr 2006
Location: On this web page.
Posted: 23rd Nov 2009 19:39
Link
There are plenty of free programming resources on the internet

First result in google: http://www.freeprogrammingresources.com/csharptutorials.html


New DBPro IDE + integrated debugger!
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
BearCDP
15
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 7th Sep 2009
Location: NYC
Posted: 23rd Nov 2009 20:54
Link
Quote: "I do have a few XNA books, though "


Please do share

Game Design, Audio, and Music Blog
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Yodaman Jer
User Banned
Posted: 23rd Nov 2009 21:08
Link
Quote: "Quote: "I do have a few XNA books, though "

Please do share "

Yes, please do share what books you have for XNA.

@Diggsey:

I've already found a lot of C# tutorials, but a lot of them do not go into the detail I need. I need something that explains why a programmer would use a certain command somewhere, and what it does and why it does it. Sadly, I've been unable to find those details anywhere. Thanks for the link though, I'll definitely check it out!

-CoffeeCoder

Formerly known as Yodaman Jer
Back to top
Profile
gamerboots
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Dec 2008
Location: USA
Posted: 26th Nov 2009 23:11
Link
Quote: " I'll give anybody who answers me a cup of coffee! "

I'll take a brownie instead

the best book there is would probably be the included documentation of microsoft's vc# (2005,2009,ect,..] whitch can be freely downloaded as options to the compiler. The included docs are very clear and easy to understand espectially if you are migrating from c++.
If your a beginner , its just another new language and you might not understand everything at first , but I'm sure that once you get the hang of it you'll love it.

----------------
Gamerboots~
Back to top
Profile PM
Back to top

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2025-05-25 20:49:54
Your offset time is: 2025-05-25 20:49:54