   Starting out with c#
  o/I'm looking at starting c#..Anyone have a good book to start with? The online support is..alright (like with using XNA etc), but no where thats a good "Complete beginner" book or Website..?Any ideas?   
  ah, just seen that there is ac# workshop on here...I'll start there :)   ;  After many failed attempts at trying to go the "teach myself through a book method" in both VB.NET and C++, I decided I'd give it one last go with C#, this was about a month ago.Although dabbling with both VB and C++ gave me a basic knowledge on the interface, and some of the keywords commonly used, I still would consider myself a very beginning programmer.  Due to this I needed a book that explained in detail what code ACTUALLY does and why it does it, rather than how it can be applied to everyday life which seems to be what most books teach -- To rant on this I think this is halfway stupid :) Anyone with enough knowledge and perseverance to try and teach themself programming in the first place can generalize how it can be applied to real life, actually knowing what the code is and does is more important.So, I bought this book for my Kindle - http://tiny.cc/16zb5 - and wow has it been amazing.  The first thing it does is goes in depth at what Object-Oriented Programming really is and why it's such an improvement from earlier programming.  The man who wrote this book is not only a successful programmer, but he's a teacher...and that's the most important thing.  He understands how to explain things to people using everyday scenarios.I highly recommend this book for anyone that's new to programming, the .NET interface, Windows IDE, and Visual C#. It's really been a book that I've been able to understand and feel comfortable with the knowledge I've gained after each chapter.   ;  How far along does the book bring you?   ;Quote:Original post by pothbHow far along does the book bring you?Below is a table of contents taken from the kindle version. I do not know how the actual paper/hardback books equate to the content of the kindle version, I'm sure if anything there's more content in the actual print.Part I: Getting Started Chapter 1: Getting Started    -A Short History of Object-Oriented Programming(OOP)    -Installing C#    -A Test Program Using C# Express  Chapter 2: Understanding    -Understanding Objects    -Developing a Program Plan    -Creating a Simple Application Using Objects    -Using C# to Implement Our Program Plan Part II: Understanding C# Syntax Chapter 3: Understanding Data Types    -Integer Data Types    -Monetary Values: The Decimal Data Type    -The Boolean Data Type Chapter 4: Understanding C# Statements    -Basic Building Blocks of Programming Language    -Defining Variables    -Using a Variable in a Program    -The Bucket Analogy    -Types of Program Errors    -The Visual Studio Debugger    -Defensive Coding  Chapter 5: Understanding Reference Data    -String Variables    -Strings and Escape Sequences    -DateTime Reference Objects  Chapter 6: Making Decisions in Code    -Relational Operators    -Logical Operators    -The Switch Statement Chapter 7: Statement Repetition Using Loops    -Program Loops    -do-while Program Loops    -The continue Statement Chapter 8: Arrays    -What is an Array?    -Arrays are Objects    -Multidimensional Arrays    -Initializing Arrays    -Collections    -ArrayList Objects Part III: Writing Your Own Classes Chapter 9: Designing Classes    -Class Design    -Designing a Program    -UML Light    -The clsDates Design    -User Interfaces Versus User Interfaces Chapter 10: Designing and Writing Custom Classes    -Constructors    -Property Methods    -What to Do if an Error Occurs in a Property Method    -Class Design for Deck-of-Cards Program    -Designing a Card Game Using clsCardDeck Chapter 11: Exception Handling and Debugging    -Overview    -Program Errors    -Exception Handling    -Program Debugging  Chapter 12: Generics    -What are Generics?    -Generic Quicksort Part IV: Storing Data Chapter 13: Using Disk Data Files    -Directories    -File Namespace    -FileInfo Class    -Types of Files    -Sequential Versus Random Access Files    -Serialization and Deserialization    -MDI, Menus, and File Dialogs  Chapter 14: Using Databases    -What is a Database?    -Using Your Own Database    -Using SQL    -Database Queries    -Using LINQ Chapter 15: Inheritance and Polymorphism    -What is Inheritance?    -Polymorphism___________________Please note that there are also exercises and summaries at the end of each chapter to solidify and help heighten the reader's working knowledge of the chapter.  I am more looking into programming for businesses, utilities programming if you may call it that, and uninterested in game programming at the moment....so what I take from the book may not necessarily be something that a game programmer would need from the book. Anyways, hope this answered your question :);  It does. Does go quite as far as I have learned though I'm not stable with it yet. But there were stuff I've never touched. Might have to look into that.   ;  I'm not contesting CL's statements, but to add information: that book is on C# 3, but with the release of VS 2010, it's now at C# 4.That said, a complete beginner might not care much about the additions. Just FYI.   ;Quote:Original post by oler1sI'm not contesting CL's statements, but to add information: that book is on C# 3, but with the release of VS 2010, it's now at C# 4.That said, a complete beginner might not care much about the additions. Just FYI.I have a few friends in the programming industry that I find relatively intelligent, though I know all coders have their own way of doing things, which is why I'm making this statement.  When I voiced my concern with one of my friends about this issue, he told me that the changes from 3.5 to 4.0 were things that I wouldn't be seeing as a beginning programmer and that I could always go over the updates at a later time. Since 4.0 was just recently introduced, he stated that finding good books on it would be a bit of a challenge and that I'd have more luck with 3.0/3.5.He also pointed out that learning the principles of coding, how to code well and actually code cleanly and with legibility is something that all the knowledge of programming couldn't make up for.  He stressed that I learn the basics of object-oriented programming as a whole first, and then dive into the actual technical aspects of programming.   