Great news!

We posted the first free PDF update for Essential Silverlight 2 Up-to-Date here: http://oreilly.com/store/9780596519988-updates.csp

If you don't want to print, trim, and holepunch the update yourself, a trimmed and holepunched version is available for sale as well (only $3.99).

Looking forward to your comments!
Laurel

I'd love to see them add a chapter on Security.

Craig

I was really pleased to see an update of some of the existing chapters that are no longer accurate, but there are still some things that are left unclear... for example, in Visual Studio with SL 2 beta 1 as far as I can tell there is no longer a "silverlight script web" project type ... and if you were to create one anyway (instantiating from xaml instead of using c#/codebehind, etc, using the javascript calls as in the book) then you can't use any of the SL 2 controls (including the simple ones like button that you'd think would be there). This is really misleading, since the book seems to indicate that both methods are the same, just with the difference of code-behinds.

Of course, perhaps I'm mistaken, and I'm overlooking something... if I am, please correct me and I'll be ecstatic, because it would actually be very convenient for me.

Also, there is no real documentation on how to blend the two methods, neither in the book or anywhere else. This is an extremely useful thing to be able to do, but none of the examples w/ javascript have any c# code in them, and vise versa. I've found lots of resources on how to call JS code from C#, but what about using javascript to manipulate the silverlight control? Sometimes that's still neccesary.

It's an advanced topic... but it seems to me that it would be an appropriate and much-needed addition to this book.

Still, it's the best silverlight book I've found so far! thanks for all the good work, and convey my compliments to the author!

This post has been edited by Richard Bateman: May 14 2008, 11:37 PM

Laurel, This is a great that the update for Beta 1 was posted so quickly. Some questions I have, plus 1 isse are:

1) When the next update is release will there be an update just for the stuff that has change since this update was release and also an update that include the combined changes of the previous release(s). This would be similar to how patches to program are released: you can download an each individual patch as they are released, or download a "final" patch that contains all the previously released patches. I think that this is an important thing to consider for these types of books to be succesful. Otherwise I waste paper and time merging updates together. This is especially important for those of us who bought this so early in the process and might not want to print out every update.

2) Would help to have better instructions for what each version of the pdf is for. When would I use the single-sided vs the double sided. For example, I have a printer that only prints one side at a time, but I want the pages to be printed out on both sides so which template should I use.

3) The biggest issue I have is that I just purchased the book (around the time the update was posted), but I did not get the pre-printe update mailed to me with the book. IMO, if you buy the book right around the time an update is posted the pre-printed pages should autmatically be sent to you with the order. And if they are not availble then the buyer should at least get a voucher to get the next update for free. You could just give buyers of this book a free voucher they could use to get on free pre-printed update, and they could decided when to use it. That way everyone is covered for the next published update.

4) I would assume that if someone brought this book 2 months from now they would get the most updated version and not have to download any updated that were release previously, is that correct? If not, you really need to consider imlementing a way to make sure buyers of this book always get the latest version, including any updates when they order it the first time. I'd be really upset if I order this book and then had to print 100+ pages of updates to get it current or spend $3.99 for each update.

These are some great points! We have agonized over how to offer the updates and it's great to hear your feedback. I've tried to address your points:

1. Update 2 will have just the stuff that has changed since Update 1--not cumulative. You will have to buy each update to have a complete book (we think there will be four updates). We added the side tab to distinguish between each update. If the updates were cumulative, wouldn't you be wasting paper as well? I guess you could pick and choose which pages to print out, but that's the same with any update. Our hope is that Christian will be adding more new content as chapters as the code stabilizes.
   
2. How you print the PDFs really is determined by what kind of printer you have. We tried to give you different PDF formats so you could easily determine what was best for you. As I understand it, if you print double sided to some printers that print only single sided, they will remember the order of the pages and print the correct page on the "back."
   
3. Unfortunately, we had serious manufacturing delays with the book. Our hope was to have the book to you and then have Update 1 come out later, but that didn't happen. The PDF versions of the updates are free, so at least you can determine if you like the content before purchasing the pre-printed pages or printing them out.
   
4. Right, so regardless of when you buy the book, you have to then catch up with the updates. So, if I buy it in July, I'll have to print out or buy Update 1 and 2. Or I could wait until the final version of the book is out (sometime at the end of the year--we hope). We know it's not an ideal situation, but it is similar to the Rough Cut Program--early access to content as it comes out, but Essential Silverlight 2 Up-to-Date is printed, edited, tech reviewed, and indexed (unlike Rough Cuts).

Hope that helps,
Laurel

1) Your point about the cumulative is correct about it wasting paper but that is only for those who buy each update and brought the book when it first was release. For those who buy the book later (say in July or August) it would be nice if they only had to buy one cumulative updates for whatever had been released up to that point. This would save them time and money.

4) So since everyone has to buy or print the updates to make it current no matter when they buy it. If you print the pages yourself that is not a bad deal but if you want to buy the professionally printed pages then it will cost you almost $40.00 ($3.99 -UPD + 5.75 - SH), making the total cost of the book $74.00. You can cut that by around $17.00 if you wait and buy all the printed updates at one time after the final release, but that still makes this an expensive book. This makes buying the printed updates really cost prohibitive.

Suggestion, give all the printed updates for this series free (you can still charge shipping and handling).

1) Since this is a new series you are getting great feedback from those of us who took the change and brought the book to make future "Up-To-Date" books better. So this will make future books in this series be even better. This would be similar to being a beta tester for software and getting a free license for being a beta tester.

2) As buyers of the first book in the series we are having to put up with some shortcoming, such as a binder that does not lay flat which other books in the series will have based on comments gathered from this forum.

I am not saying to do this for all the series in this book, just this one as the first one in this series. This could be justified because of all the feedback you are getting about the how to make the series better for future release in the series and make up for some of the shortcomings of the first book in the series.



This post has been edited by smehaffie: May 23 2008, 03:45 PM

Thanks smehaffie! I think we should do some sort of raffle...I like that idea.

Laurel

It seems like the Update 1 is not incorporated intro the Safari Online version of this book. Am I right?

Aren't you going to do that?
And please write in the title or preface, which version the online version currently is.

Looking forward to reading - but are not to keen on starting reading an outdated version

Oh, I see that you have almost answered this already. That when you buy the book it is NOT updated to the latest updates.

Please consider changing that - at least for the online version!

I cannot print updates and insert them into the online version - so basically the online version is not of any use now.

Thank you for the excellent book.
When the update 2 will be available? Will it include beta 2?
Thanks

Any news about Update 2 for Beta 2?

Thanks!!

My book is registered. Why do you suppose I wasn't notified of this update?

When will the update 2 be available. It has been quite some time since Beta2 was realeased and still no update. What is the advantage of this book if the updates are not timely and closely follow the release of the next version?