Online Materials for C# and Beyond

I've got some answers for you!

-Personally I like the option to look at the pre-formated code provided as an alternate option to the downloaded code, it's simply right there for me to see. Most of the time I'm not worried about compiling the code, I just want to review it. I like this new approach.

-My expectations for a tech-book is that it should provide the code examples for free online. Everything else is above my expectations... but it never hurt to try and raise expectations... Head First has already raised my expectations several notches on tech-books and text-books.
I also like it when the book offers an electronic copy for reference. Most of the time I don't read entire chapters via the computer but it comes in handy to have the end-of-chapter exercises opened in a window as I work through the problems in whatever compiler/app I'm using. I can also do quick searches to find any pertinent info regarding the problem.

-Back when I was learning C++ the text-book that was required for class, C++: Interactive Course, offered a comprehensive online exam for each chapter. If you scored 80% or higher on each exam you would get a certificate that you could print out, supposedly the certificate was approved by some university somewhere. Even though we only covered about half of the book in class I read through the rest of the book after finishing the class so that I could 'earn' and print out the certificate. I though that was a really cool idea, unfortunately it looks like the publisher of that book series is long since gone.

PS I'm having trouble with the 'Preview' button in both Firefox and IE7.

Caitrin,

I really like the DinnerParty code example! Personally, I'd much rather scroll up & down to view the code online instead of going left to right in a book (or worse, having to turn the page, yuk! - talk about breaking the flow!)

As for being blown away ...

Having been on the review team for a couple of books now, I've developed an appreciation & respect for authors, and I know how tough it is to produce an entire book error-free.

Errata are nice, but going to a website, pulling up the errata, marking up the book, etc, can be a pain.

If you want to "borrow" a feature from other books, I love the PDFs that The Pragmatic Programmers have. Once you buy a PDF, you get free updates for the life of that edition of the book. No more errata viewing, just regenerate the PDF ... sweet!

Not only that, but "online versions of most titles feature color highlighting of code examples, and all feature a fully hyperlinked index and table of contents, internal hyperlinks where appropriate, and so on." (Source: http://www.pragprog.com/frequently-asked-questions/pdfs)

Now if you could just come up with Head First Turkey Carving, my wishlist would be complete!

(Apologies in advance for the formatting. Like Mike, I'm having issues with the "Preview" button).

Caitrin,
Great to see you guys are finally doing a book on C#. When I did HF DP I translated all the code to C# just for grins and I couldnt have done that (or done it well) if it wasnt for all the Java Source Code that was available online. I usually prefer to type in the code by hand as it helps me explore nuances in the IDE I am using at the moment. But having the code available is like operating with a .NET. When I have goofed I can always use the source code to bring home the point.

Conversely, when I dont see source code available online for a book, its a real bummer. I like the dinner party example but I would prefer a zip of the source code broken down cahpter by chapter. That way I dont have to be online to check it out. Having both would suffice as well.

One final recommendation. W3Schools.com has always impressed me with some of their CSS, XML and HTML tutorials, in that you can code online and see the results online as well. That kind of technology is truly empowering. Combine it with the humor and visuals in the HF series and you've got a potent combination.

I really like the in-page code examples. What would make it really Head First is if you could put the call outs like you have in the books visible when you roll over sections of the code.

Using zipped up packages are a pain for what I use them for (mostly reading) and having them in HTML makes it easy to look at and still be able to copy/paste into the IDE. The only down side I can see is that it does make it a little harder for programs that have custom settings done in the preference boxes and such.

I assume the code contained in the book to be correct and able to be inserted into an otherwise valid compilation unit and function as advertised.

I don't assume anything to be available online (typing it in yourself teaches you more than watching something compile and run that you downloaded) unless the first condition is not met.
But if something's available for download (or on CD, floppy, or whatever medium) with the publication I expect it to work without modifications.

Having a companion website for a book without which the book is disfunctional is definitely NOT a good idea. Maybe I'm alone in this (though I don't think I am) but I don't have internet access at all times I have access to books, so requiring the former to be able to use the latter is for me a deciding factor to not purchase that book.

Great going guys ..... First things first Im a huge fan of Head First Series ... Basically im a c# guy and everytime i used my HFDP and HF OOA&D books, i use to convert the java code into c#.I had fun everytime i read this book.Now that you guys have introduced the new book for C# i cant wait to get that book for myself.

We love you guys... God bless

i want materian on c#

I want materian on c#,ASP.NET