Michael Hyman and Bob Arnson, Visual C++ 2 for Dummies (IDG, 1995)

Given the existence of a book called C++ for Dummies and the existence of a separate book called Visual C++2 for Dummies, and given the reader of this review knows what Visual C++ 2 is, what would you expect from those two books? Doesn't it seem like C++ for Dummies would cover the language, and Visual C++2 for Dummies would cover Visual C++2, the changes from the ANSI C++ standard and (more importantly) how to use Visual C++2 to program in Windows?

Perish the thought.

The first quarter, roughly, of Visual C++2 for Dummies does exactly what one would expect it to--covers Visual C++ 2. Installing, creating your first project, doing the "hello world" application in a Windows framework, noting that you're typing two or three lines of code instead of the thousands the authors estimate it takes to do a Hello World application in Windows (VC++ handles all the underlying code for opening and positioning the window, et al.). Great! Now we're going to get into the AppWizard options, how to program an MDI interface, what you want to do differently in your classes, and all that stuff, right? Nope. The remaining three hundred pages in the book are an overview of, yes, you guessed it, how to program in C++.

For the record, this book does a better job in some places than does C++ for Dummies; specifically, it has sections on error handling, gives a few paragraphs on templates (which is more than the first book did), that sort of thing. This can probably be explained away by the fact that Visual C++ 2 for Dummies was published a year after its thinner, more anemic predecessor. And these are things an aspiring C++ programmer should know. But if you bought Visual C++ 2 for Dummies, it's pretty likely you have a copy of Visual C++ 2 and you want to use it for Windows programming. And after touching on the very tip of the iceberg, the book ignores the subject to the point where all of its sample programs (assuming you don't get the disk, which must be ordered separately from the book--at least, in the one I have, which has a page at the back telling you where to send your cash) need to be programmed as console applications (i.e., they run in a DOS box). "Disappointing" is an understatement along the lines of "Caligula had some emotional problems."

Unless it's your very first book on C++ and you're jumping into the Windows deep end, avoid this. **

This may be a decent book for someone wanting to learn the rudiments of programming (and they just happen to be using VC++ .NET) but it is of very limited use for anyone at the intermediate level or above. I bought the book hoping it would serve as a guide to transitioning from traditional C++, but its treatment of graphical programming was at the very end and of little value.

The title of this book "Visual Studio 6 For Dummies" is more than somewhat misleading. It is not a beginner's book, or more precisely, not written in a way that would be instructive for beginners. A lot of the book details explanations of what Visual Studio is all about, yet gives very little in the way of actual coding coupled with examples and exercises.

Also, the book gives focus to Microsoft's Frontpage and InterDev applications, which is fine in itself, except that neither app is part of the Visual Studio suite.

The book is not for beginners. I tried to go thru the very first exercise and hit a "snag". The author has no E Mail address to ask questions. This book is not worth the price!

This book is not for beginners...something the author actually says in the book. I expected to get a general introduction to the various programs found in the studio and how these programs relate to each other. Instead, I found undue concentration on InterDev and Front Page (which no longer is part of the Studio) in the context of the Internet. If this is what you want then buy the book, otherwise look for something else.

This book is laugh out loud funny, but it is entirely unintentional. The Bette Davis book they wrote must have been a huge sensation; there is no other explanation for why this nonsense was published. The Hymans have to be the most self-serving couple on the planet. Too bad they reproduced; I fear for their children. These people are reprehensible, and they embody the exact opposite of Christ's teachings. I wonder if B.D. still believes one can be a good Christian even if they regularly skip church services for yachting & lobster expeditions now that she has her own ministry. These people are absolutely venal. That said, the book is a hoot for that very reason.

Don't waste your money! This book is nothing but [junk] from beginning to end. Only in America could two pathetic losers such as these two actually find someone to publish their ridiculous story. On the other hand, their meal-ticket for years, the loveable Miss Bette Davis, is no longer alive to support their sorry butts. Guess they're getting desperate for money. I had to give it one star, but that was only because there wasn't a zero. Suggestion for B.D. and Jeremy: crawl back under that rock--you're scaring people!

What a dreadful person the author must be, narrow minded and mean as are most religious zealots. Now, lady, I will quote the bible:"Honor thy father and mother"."Judge not lest thee be judged".Better pray for an open mind and a more loving spirit. You need it.

This book masquerades as a comprehensive guide to developing a stock option plan. In truth, it is a very basic overview of some of the topics surrounding stock option plans. When it attempts to walk through how one would actually go about creating a plan, it uses a hypothetical company and an executive named "Charlie". Sadly, whenever Charlie comes to difficult questions, no answer is given. For example, when discussing the question of valuing stock in a private company, the author's answer is to hire an outside consultant....Gee thanks! Beyond the single basic example give, no discussion of how or why certain decisions are to be made and rationalized. Another great example of this is in determining the number of shares to grant to employees and management. The answer given in the case study is that Charlie had "no process to determine these numbers"....wow, really insightful advice.....No plan at all, so when the executives ask you how you came up with the grant allocations, you can just tell them that you winged it, just like Charlie.

As you can tell, the authors couldnt even tackle simple issues like how many shares to grant, or the appropriate strike price,
and this is not even to mention REAL issues like compensating employees whose options are underwater. I guess Charlie didn't have this problem. I am totally embarassed to have bought this book, save your money and search the web for real-world advice.