Wow.
No, seriously, wow. If you're doing any networking programming for Windows CE devices, this book is a must-have, even if you're not a eMbedded Visual C++ developer, but are .NET Compact Framework looking to gain an insight into workings of the communications stacks in Windows CE. The style Steve uses throughout the book is one of calm, relaxed, approachability and this makes the book not only a good learning resource, but a joy to read. The FAQ lists on the inside of the front and back cover give a valuable quick reference to core elements of network programming, making the task of finding exactly what you need all the more easier.
No networking book is complete without a chapter on introducing networking. The level this is pitched at is good -- not too dumbed down to put off the seasoned codemonkey, but not too difficult to scare off those new to networking. The book continues on to cover such topics as TCP, UDP, sockets, and IP multitasking. And this is just the first chapter. Chapter 2 covers the WinInet control. I must admit, I only glanced over this chapter as it was not really relevant to my needs. The big chapters for me are chapters 6 and 7. These deal with Remote Access Service (RAS) and Connection Manager. The Connection Manager chapter proved invaluable when I was writing the OpenNETCF.Net.ConnectionManager class for the Smart Device Framework. Other areas covered by the book are Pocket PC Phone Edition and how to use all those lovely Phone APIs, how to access data stored on the SIM and sending SMS messages.
The next chapter in the book (chapter 9) deserves a paragraph on its own. Chapter 9 deals with desktop synchronization. This covers ActiveSync and Remote API (RAPI). This chapter is the most complete source information for writing ActiveSync synchronisation providers that you'll find anywhere. Believe me, I've looked. Well done, Steve! I can only imagine how hard it must have been to collate all the disperate resources for this task, but being a man inside the Big House, I suppose would have helped.
The chapters on the Pocket Outlook Object Model (POOM) and MAPI are 112 pages of essential information for anyone trying to access the data stored in the ObjectStore, typically Calendar, Contact, Mail, and Task information. The final chapter in the book manages to touch on the networking APIs in the .NET Compact Framework with information on socket programming and using the .NET Pluggable Protocol model.
The illustrative figures and code samples used throughout the book are superb. Steve manages to maintain your attention span by breaking up what would be large chunks of code and interspersing them with insightful narrative. Nice. This is a much better approach than some books that I've read where there are pages upon pages of nothing but C++. I only hope those type of books use recycled paper.
If you're a hardcore eVC++ and want a good reference book on network programming. If you're new to eVC++ and the .NET Compact Framework and want a book that will guide you through the ins and outs of network programming, this is the book for you.