Right out of the chute, you'll build a simple web service and create an application that consumes it, quickly gaining a basic familiarity with the resources Microsoft has placed at your disposal. Then, with this practical introduction under your belt, you'll delve into the details of C# and its relationship with -details that, by the end of the book, will enable you to tackle a wide variety of sophisticated programming challenges and accomplish many other things, as well.

You'll learn how to create more effective user interfaces, first for a web service consumer and then for a traditional Windows application. You'll also get a solid grounding in the world of C# objects and classes, discovering what they make possible within the context of . Then you'll explore the language itself, beginning with syntax, continuing with arrays, and concluding with the ins and outs of object-oriented programming and string manipulation.

Everything comes together in an exploration of the ways you use C# to interact with the world at large: working with files and serializing objects, creating messaging programs, and using XML and ADO to interact with databases. By that point, you'll be adept at using the C# interface and help system and you'll be well on your way in the new world of programming. "