BackCover

Back Cover

COBOL and Visual Basic on .NET is a comprehensive guide to help mainframe programmers successfully complete a .NET retraining effort. This book is intended for the COBOL/CICS mainframe community of programmers making the transition from the mainframe to .NET, and also for those who simply wish to broaden their .NET knowledge base.

Starting with a complete set of .NET retraining prerequisites and a full chapter answering the question What is .NET? Richardson skillfully takes you through such essential topics as the .NET Framework, database access, Windows, the Web, and web services. Additional topics include printing with Crystal Reports, using XML and HTML, .NET configuration, and security for Web services.

Richardson also includes information to help the mainframe programmer with infrastructure setup issues, often faced when deploying modules using Internet Information Server and COM+. He provides you with the tools to learn both COBOL.NET and Visual Basic .NET, illustrated by extensive code samples in the book.

Drawing upon many legacy mainframe analogies , Richardson's conversational writing style makes this book both informative and an enjoyable read. COBOL and Visual Basic on .NET: A Guide for the Reformed Mainframe Programmer is a complete and definitive .NET guide for the mainframe programmer.

About the Author

Chris Richardson has over 20 years experience in the information technology field. Over half of his career has been on the mainframe platform developing using COBOL, CICS, and DB2. Chris says that his mainframe background has served as a sound foundation for his Windows, Web, and .NET programming transition ”a transition that has included becoming proficient in Visual Basic. Chris likes to point out that he has had the pleasure of being a senior programmer analyst, a lead developer, a systems architect, and a senior software engineer. With a smile, he explains that under each job title, the primary assigned and assumed duty has remained constant: to develop and optimize business solutions using technology as needed. Currently, he is a programming supervisor at a Fortune 500 company, offering his services to a team of Windows, Web, and .NET developers. He proudly reminds people of his mainframe background and jokingly refers to himself as a reformed mainframe programmer.

Chris divides his leisure time between entrepreneurial endeavors (such as his recent start-up, California-based eClectic Software Solutions), and studying for his next Microsoft certification exam.