Appendix B: Resources for .NET and Windows Developers

Overview

As I pointed out in Chapter 1, being a good developer is a prerequisite for being a good debugger. The best debuggers also have a solid skill set and, most important, can draw on a broad range of knowledge to help them solve any debugging problem they encounter. Having a solid grasp of the language, the technologies involved, the operating system, and the CPU can make the difference between solving a debugging problem in minutes and spending days in the debugger wondering what's going on.

My motivation for putting together this list of resources is that developers continually ask me what resources I use to learn about Microsoft .NET and Microsoft Windows development. Please keep in mind that the books, tools, and Web sites in this appendix don't constitute an exhaustive list by any means, and you might even disagree with some of my recommendations. All the items I list are suggestions—except for one. The one item you absolutely must have for Windows development is a subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) CDs. If you don't have access to these CDs, there's no way you can do serious, professional Windows development. Microsoft has come out with MSDN Online, but the MSDN CDs are the only place that some information appears. For more information on subscribing to MSDN, see msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions.

Please keep in mind that I've either written some of the tools or worked with some of the authors of the books I recommend. I feel it's only fair to point out the potential conflict of interest.