Open Source .NET Development, Addison-Wesley
Microsoft .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Visual C# (CSharp, C Sharp, C-Sharp) Developer Training, Visual Studio
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C# Online.NET Book Review
Consult C# / .NET Open Source Projects for a list of current Open Source .NET projects.
Never an Open Source advocate, Microsoft has contributed to the Open Source Movement by submitting key parts of .NET to ECMA and ISO. This action promotes the development of Open Source projects in .NET languages—especially C#. The .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR) is, especially, important in its applicability to Open Source projects like Mono.
In an initial response, Open Source developers have ported popular Java tools like Ant and JUnit to .NET—as NAnt, and NUnit. They are derivative; but, it is actually very productive to have familiar tools on both the .NET and Java platforms. And, Java developers can more easily transit to .NET.
This book is a general survey of Open Source tools for .NET development. While most of these tools are already familiar to active Open Source community members, the book concentrates the information into a single resource book. The book begins with a long apology for Open Source. If you are new to Open Source, you may find the author passionate and persuasive.
Although the scope of the book is quite broad, it does not attempt an exhaustive list of Open Source .NET projects. Instead, it focus on the most popular and productive tools available—most of which are free! NAnt, NDoc, and NUnit from the title are well covered. The book also introduces .NET editing, revision, source control, and other tools; but, the coverage s not detailed. What is more, the book describes a .NET development environment and process. Important current open source projects like Mono and Portable.NET are, also, introduced. Approximately 25% of the book is appendices, including detailed coverage of NAnt tasks.
The chapters are mostly self-contained; so, they can be read in any order. And, the chapter introductions allow you to decide in advance whether you need to read the chapter.
Most of the source code examples are in the C# language.
Bottom line
Open Source .NET Development is a valuable survey and resource book for Open Source .NET development tools.
From the back cover
Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of the arrival of Microsoft's .NET platform is the standardization of C# and the Common Language Runtime. Now, for the first time, programmers can develop and use open-source projects that are based on a language that is an international standard as well as compatible with both Microsoft and Linux platforms.
Open Source .NET Development is the definitive guide on .NET development in an open-source environment
Inside, readers will find in-depth information on using NAnt, NDoc, NUnit, Draco.NET, log4net, and Aspell.Net with both Visual Studio .NET and the Mono Project. Brian Nantz not only shares the best open-source and "free" tools, frameworks, components, and products for .NET, he also provides usable, practical examples and projects. The result is a highly accessible reference for finding the tools that best fit your needs.
Highlights include
- An introduction to open source and its implementations of the .NET standards
- .NET development with open-source tools, including build automation, XML documentation, unit testing, continuous integration, and application logging
- A simple example of Integrating .NET open-source projects that integrates an Open Source SVG component with a System.Drawing graphical editor
- An Aspell.Net case study that shows the use of Draco.NET Continuous Integration in conjunction with NAnt, NUnit, NDoc, and the SharpDevelop IDE
- An exclusive look at ADO.NET database and ASP.NET Web development using PostgreSQL that runs on both Windows and Linux
- Appendixes on NAnt and NAntContrib tasks, log4netAppender configurations, and open-source security observations
Whether you are a .NET developer interested in learning more about open-source tools or an open-source developer curious about .NET, this book will bridge the divide between these formerly distinct camps. The accompanying CD-ROM includes the book's .NET open-source coding examples, as well as many of the featured tools.
About the author(s)
Brian Nantz is a senior engineer in research and development at Security International in Milwaukee. He has designed solutions for GM, GE, Honeywell, and Analogic. An active member of the open-source community, Brian contributes to NAnt, NAntContrib, and log4net and is a lead developer for LogKit.Net and Aspell.Net.
Table of Contents (abbreviated)
I. INTRODUCTION TO OPEN SOURCE AND .NET.
1. What Is Open Source?
2. Open Source and the .NET Platform.
II. .NET DEVELOPMENT WITH OPEN SOURCE TO0LS.
3. General Development.
4. Build Automation.
5. XML Documentation.
6. Unit Testing.
7. Continuous Integration.
8. Application Logging.
III. INTEGRATING .NET OPEN SOURCE PROJECTS IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT.
9. ASpell.NET Case Study.
10. Database Development.
11. Web Development.
12. Simple Project Integration.
IV. REFERENCES
Appendix A: NAnt Tasks.
Appendix B: NAntContrib Tasks.
Appendix C: mkisofs.
