Until reading this book, I had been nervous about the introduction of generics into .Net. First, I wasn’t sure how well they would be implemented equivalently across multiple languages. Second, I had been an early C++ programmer and lived through how complicated the introduction of templates made that language. This book has convinced me that generics will work equally well in C# and Visual Basic.
As a long-time C++ programmer, my favorite chapter was Chapter 3, which presented very cogent arguments as to why generics are not the same as templates. Another favorite is Chapter 10, which presents 23 very specific guidelines for all generics programmers to be mindful of. The book benefits greatly from always showing each example in VB and C#.
I’m sure you could pick up a more general Programming in .Net book and read its one chapter on generics. However, since generics are probably the most significant addition to .Net, you will miss out on learning many of the powerful new ways to take advantage of generics that Golding presents in this book.
