I often get asked "Which web development framework should I use?" The answer generally depends on when I'm asked that question. Over the years I have played with, offered courses in, and written production code using various frameworks in the .NET space, the Java/Groovy space, and on Rails. My answer varies over time as, thankfully, different frameworks emerge and current frameworks evolve.

The tools and techniques for developing web applications on the .NET platform has come a long way. There was a time it was leading, then there was a time when it had to catch up. If you are developing web application on the .NET platform using Microsoft tools (as many developers do), I can't imagine today not relying on the MVC pattern and the capabilities of ASP.NET MVC Web Application Development framework.

The recently released "ASP.NET MVC In Action" from Manning by Jeffrey Palermo, Ben Scheirman, and Jimmy Bogard is a great way to deep dive into it.

The book is written for developers with practical knowledge of web development with ASP.NET. The authors get right into showing us how we will benefit from ASP.NET MVC and without wasting our time.

One of my favorites in the book is the emphasis on automated testing from the get-go.

The book does a good job of not only showing you what to do, but also provides cautionary words to avoid poor practices that may lead to maintenance issues on non-trivial applications. You'll learn how to organize and manage large applications, and also to what extent you can use your current ASP.NET skills and knowledge in ASP.NET MVC.

I feel that the discussion of MonoRail and Rails, taking one chapter, was a bit too much than I cared for. However, the authors do provide an objective comparison to ASP.NET MVC in the end of this chapter.

Overall, the book is a good read and well written. It certainly assumes you are familiar with web development and ASP.NET. If you have that background, it should be a breeze to get through the concept that will help you take good advantage of ASP.NET MVC.

Disclaimer: As I was reading the book, I was quite surprised to find that Ben had mentioned my name. Please do not hold it against him. :) It had no influence on my comments above.