I have experience with PHP and Perl-based CGI programming. I needed to learn ASP in a hurry to get started on a new project. This book was suitable for my circumstance by providing an inexpensive, easy-to-read introduction to ASP.

If you are already familiar with some form of web-based programming (knowing Visual Basic also helps), this is a great way to get started quick with ASP. It provides a clear, concise explanation of the essential ASP classes (Session, Request, Response, redirecting, etc.)

If you are a beginner and know nearly nothing about creating dynamic web pages, there is a steep learning curve. I would also recommend getting Sam's Teach Yourself Visual Basic .NET if you are unfamiliar with Visual Basic programming, because there is a lot of VB in ASP.

"ASP for Dummies" does not cover .NET, but that is not really important, especially if you already have another reference book such as for Visual Basic .NET. ASP is well structured and I doubt there will ever be much urgency to change your code for .NET. For those of you unfamiliar with .NET, it is a series of classes and methodology that sometimes can make your programming easier.

The cheap shots at humor could make this book annoying at times, but it does put you at ease while you're learning. The style of this book may also be inadequate if you intend to use it for reference alone.

I have experience with PHP and Perl-based CGI programming. I needed to learn ASP in a hurry to get started on a new project. This book was suitable for my circumstance by providing an inexpensive, easy-to-read introduction to ASP.

If you are already familiar with some form of web-based programming (knowing Visual Basic also helps), this is a great way to get started quick with ASP. It provides a clear, concise explanation of the essential ASP classes (Session, Request, Response, redirecting, etc.)

If you are a beginner and know nearly nothing about creating dynamic web pages, there is a steep learning curve. I would also recommend getting Sam's Teach Yourself Visual Basic .NET if you are unfamiliar with Visual Basic programming, because there is a lot of VB in ASP.

"ASP for Dummies" does not cover .NET, but that is not really important, especially if you already have another reference book such as for Visual Basic .NET. ASP is well structured and I doubt there will ever be much urgency to change your code for .NET. For those of you unfamiliar with .NET, it is a series of classes and methodology that sometimes can make your programming easier.

The cheap shots at humor could make this book annoying at times, but it does put you at ease while you're learning. The style of this book may also be inadequate if you intend to use it for reference alone.

For those who don't want to be dragged into the new .net world. There is still asp...however, 2.0 is the old version, at least get 3.0

A good book for beginners.

I bought this book without any previous knowledge of ASP and it has been a great help to me.
In the first part of the book, it discusses the code and gives examples for almost all of it.
In the second part, it uses nearly all the code discussed in real world examples - which is really necessary if you want to throughly understand how the code is used or could be used.

Once or twice I ran into a very minor piece of code that was not addressed.
The unexplained code was not very vital, although I still would have appreciated an explanation.
However, this was the only issue I can think of.

As a rule, the "For Dummies" books give a lighthearted approach to subjects and this book is no exception.
It presents its material with a great balance of instruction and humor.

Shortly - If you do not have any previous knowledge of ASP, then this is the book for you.
It is well worth it.

A good book for beginners.

I bought this book without any previous knowledge of ASP and it has been a great help to me.
In the first part of the book, it discusses the code and gives examples for almost all of it.
In the second part, it uses nearly all the code discussed in real world examples - which is really necessary if you want to throughly understand how the code is used or could be used.

Once or twice I ran into a very minor piece of code that was not addressed.
The unexplained code was not very vital, although I still would have appreciated an explanation.
However, this was the only issue I can think of.

As a rule, the "For Dummies" books give a lighthearted approach to subjects and this book is no exception.
It presents its material with a great balance of instruction and humor.

Shortly - If you do not have any previous knowledge of ASP, then this is the book for you.
It is well worth it.

I think you can develop almost every type of web application using this book. It is perfect for starters and intermidiate level programmers. I run a software development house and this was in fact the book that opened different spectrums for me and I felt very easy with proramming after that.

Firstly, I needed to know what is involved with Active Server Pages. What do I buy? How do I use the computer? Etc. This book answered my questions, in a nice humourous style.

Secondly, I needed to know how to think about ASP. This book helped me there too - at least for beginners. If you are a Web technology pro, forget this book. And why are you looking at a Dummines book??

Thirdly, I'm a great believer in "having a go". This book provides examples apt for an appropriate exercise at the "dummies" level.

My complaint is more a recognition of the fact that I have progressed with ASP. There is much more involved with ASP than what this book touches on. I find this book assumes that I have some intelligence to work this out for myself.

If you are new to computers, I advise you get other books to help you with this topic. Successfully explaining Active Server Pages is reliant on the reader being relatively familiar with computers, the Net, and the development mindset and culture. The latter two are the keys to securing a measure of success with ASP.

I doubt I can write a review that is precision tuned with your situation. That said, if your gut instinct is that you need the treatment of the "Dummies" brand, buy this book. Here is a brainy reason why you'll likely need the "Dummines" book as well as another: It appears impossible to train yourself on ASP with one book alone.

The only problem with this book is IIS and PWS can be difficult to install making for a good amount of preparation before using the examples.

Otherwise, it's an excellent primer, with plenty of simple examples to mess with. I use a free ...site that lets me upload .asp pages, edit and view them without even needing PWS or IIS. Eventually I'll hook up PWS or IIS, when I have security set up higher. But this is a really good learning tool. Kudos to the author.

Well worth getting as your first ASP book.

This book is a great reference for Active Server Pages. It will get even a novice programmer started and is clear and to the point.

Active Server Pages for Dummies by Bill Hatfield. This book is, as I see it, an absolute must for anybody who wants to learn the basics of ASP. This book certainly helped me when I first started.
It takes you through a world of programming, but not in a technically difficult way, instead, Bill Hatfield uses a lot of humour to explain different concepts. This is the one book you need if you want to learn ASP. (Afterwards I recommend Wrox books)

This book is a good overview of ASP. There isn't enough detail in it to make it specificly useful to what ever project you want to work on, but it is a good start. If you have no prior experiance with ASP, like I did, this book would be a good place to start.

Active Server Pages for dummies gives you enough of an introduction to the technology that after you read it, you should know what you need to look for to get the job done. You will have to go to other sources for more in depth coverage, but at least you have an idea about what's going on when you do. The book also comes with a pretty good list of online resources to go to for help.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars based on the coverage of the topic. If I had considered the price as well I would have given it a 4 or 4-1/2. This book is cheap (< [$]). I would recomend it for people who know nothing about ASP, but who have experiance with other web technolgies. This book would be useless to anyone who has worked with ASP already.