Pro Visual Studio 2005 Team System, Apress
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
This is a very ambitious book; and, a very long one. Basically, it is an eight hundred page case study of an ersatz software development project by a simulated group of software architects for a fictitious company. Those of you with business or law backgounds who have read many case studies will recognize immediately just how long and tedious such a book probably is.
Actually, the book contains a great deal of practical, useful information on the application of Visual Studio Team System 2005 to a lifelike situation. But, the range of topics is so broad, the multiple roles so numerous, the…. Well, the book, simply, tries to cover too much ground and takes too long to do it. The result is that only the most dedicated reader will be able to persist through the entire volume. It is a shame really; because, the book has value.
Our author is part academic—he teaches off and on—and part software developer. The book is the same: it smacks both of academic detachment and of the "real world" inhabited by various species of programmer. The author's writing style is pleasant enough; but, it alternates between technical and dramatic. He tries to ground the dry, technical stuff in realistic dialogues between people involved in the project. In order to relieve the tedium, he even makes mildy humorous remarks in those conversations which will be familiar to all developers. However, the continuity of the writing leaves something to be desired when you encounter phrases like "Now, about that second thing we mentioned a few paragraphs ago…"
The complete source code—which would make it a working demonstration project—is not available. This is a serious obstacle to most of us; because, it means you cannot just jump on the computer and try everything out much less experiment with it.
Most of the source code examples are in the C# language; but, a signicant portion is written in Visual Basic .NET. This seems a poor choice both for C# and for VB programmers. Perhaps the assumption is that any architect worth his salt will know both; but, I don't and I don't wish to learn VB at all. On the other hand, except that it causes eye strain, VB is pretty readable to a C# programmer.
Bottom line
Pro Visual Studio 2005 Team System: Application Development is a lengthy case study on using Team System effectively.
Publisher's description
Pro Visual Studio 2005 Team System Application Development brings Visual Studio 2005 Team System to life. You’ll learn how to effectively use Team System to develop new functionality for large distributed systems. The book accomplishes this not just by describing the Team System features, but also by leading you through a fictitious, though realistic, project.
The project takes place in a large, distributed organization with a mix of existing systems. Risks exist in the possible disruption of the current business enterprise system, and careful planning and phasing of deliverables are necessary. New and modified applications must work with existing parts of the system as iterations of the project move through testing to deployment, in order to bring the project to a successful conclusion.
While the project progresses, in-depth discussions explain the use of the features by the various members of the team and the features’ interactions. The author provides highly detailed examples and discussions, including exploration of the design, coding, and test stages. The further you read, you’ll see how to develop portions of the application—some coded in C# and some in Visual Basic—together with their tests, installation tools, and design artifacts.
About the author(s)
Steve Shrimpton was born and educated in the UK and obtained a master’s degree in physics from Southampton University. After a period teaching, he worked as a scientist with the Ministry of Defence and quickly became involved in airborne computing systems. He migrated to the USA and worked in defense and automotive systems in California for 12 years as a systems engineer, circuit designer, and software developer. He also developed a plug-in digital storage oscilloscope product for DOS 1.1! After a period of time in New Zealand teaching in a university, he settled in Sydney, Australia, where he operates as a contract software architect undertaking assignments in banking, finance, medical, and many other businesses. Steve considers himself very much a hands-on architect and a programmer’s programmer!
Table of Contents (abbreviated)
CHAPTER 1 Introducing Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team System
CHAPTER 2 The Business Case and Project Scope
CHAPTER 3 The Project Manager: Initial Tasks and Project Planning
CHAPTER 4 The Business Analyst: Creating the Personas, Use Cases, and Scenarios
CHAPTER 5 The Architect: Creating the Solution Architecture
CHAPTER 6 Business Analyst and Design Team: Designing the Application
CHAPTER 7 Prototype Group: Proof of Concept Development
CHAPTER 8 Development Team: Sales Business Layer Development
CHAPTER 9 Integration and Functional Testing
CHAPTER 10 Web and Performance Testing.
CHAPTER 11 Handling Change and Security Requirements
CHAPTER 12 Managing Iterations: Moving Toward Completion
CHAPTER 13 Tracking and Correcting Defects
CHAPTER 14 Releasing the Product
