- Platform: Windows NT / 2000 / XP
- Media: DVD-ROM
- Item Quantity: 1
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Product Description
Amazon.com Review
More than just a programming language, Visual Basic .NET is a visual development tool for Windows. Building an application is a matter of first creating a visual interface using the drag-and-drop form designer, and then writing code to bring the interface to life. Visual Basic is popular with beginners because the language has an English-like syntax and the visual tools make it easy to get started. The same qualities enable professionals to work faster, making this a great tool for business use as well.
Visual Basic .NET is substantially different from earlier versions. It builds applications for the .NET Framework, a run-time layer with improved security and reliability. In order to achieve this, Microsoft made numerous changes to the language. Most of these are beneficial, including full object orientation with inheritance, but the new Visual Basic is not compatible with the old. To migrate an old project you use an upgrade wizard, followed by manual fine-tuning. Applications built with Visual Basic .NET no longer support Windows 95, while for development, Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or XP is needed.
Despite these heavy system requirements, there is a lot to like in Visual Basic .NET. Perhaps the best feature is that developers can build applications for the Web almost as easily as for Windows. These have to be hosted on a Windows Web server, but can be accessed through browsers running on any platform, using a technology called ASP.NET. There is a host of components available, both in the box and from third parties, for true rapid application development. It is also a good choice for database development. Microsoft's ADO.NET database API uses a disconnected model, fitting well with the world of laptops and other mobile devices. XML support is good, including the ability to program XML Web services, which enable applications to communicate over the Internet. Developers can also build software for the Pocket PC and other Windows CE devices, using a downloadable add-on called Smart Device Extensions.
Visual Basic .NET has a superb development environment, although you need to double the minimum system requirements for good performance. The main work area is tabbed so that integrated online help appears alongside the code and the visual design surface. Tool windows can be docked, floated, or hidden. Automatic code completion and dynamic help speed coding, while ToolTips reveal the type of any variable. For deployment, there is a setup wizard and a setup project type.
Overall, this is a powerful tool with few limits on what can be achieved. --Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com Product Description
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET is the latest version of the Visual Basic development system. Reengineered for the Microsoft .NET Framework, it provides an easy and productive route for new developers and current Visual Basic programmers to quickly build Windows-based applications, next-generation XML Web services, thin-client Web applications, and software for mobile devices.
Write programs more efficiently using Visual Basic .NET. Take full advantage of IntelliSense statement completion, a background compiler, and Windows Forms control anchoring to reduce the amount of code you write and improve code stability. Visual Basic .NET provides developers with designers for creating Windows Forms and Web Forms applications and XML documents, as well as a host of other features for constructing solutions on the .NET platform.
Use the On-Screen Emulator feature to easily design and test Pocket PC applications without a device. The start page acts as a developer portal to one-click information on recently used projects, personal preferences, product updates, and the MSDN Online Community. Also, view project components, including Web Forms and Windows Forms controls, HTML elements, objects, and code snippets in the enhanced Toolbox.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredibly powerful & easy,
By
This review is from: Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Standard [Old Version] (DVD-ROM)
I'm not sure why everyone is complaining about Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET), when this software is so powerful.First, let me say that it's true VB.NET Standard Edition is somewhat crippled in that it doesn't let you create DLL's or mobile apps for WinCE devices. Nor does it include Crystal Reports, or some other features you'd find in VB.NET Professional/Enterprise. However, it's perfect for making small utilities/applications. Most of my programming experience has been with Perl, PHP, Java, C, C++. I had a little exposure to Visual Basic in college, but I had forgotten everything I had learned about it. With VB.NET standard and _Visual Basic .NET Step by Step_ (ISBN: 0-7356-1374-5) I was able to write a fully functional and moderately complex application (and distribute it with the included Windows installer) in about 2 weeks time. I was astounded by the low learning curve. There are two different types of programs you can create with VB.NET, those based on Windows forms and those based on Web forms. Windows forms would be your traditional type of Windows application, while Web forms are designed to work through the Internet. I have no VB.NET experience creating Web forms, but the features look promising. VB.NET is different than earlier versions of VB because it is built around the .NET framework. The .NET framework works more like Java. Your programs are converted to bytecode which runs on the .NET framework (which your users must install to run your apps). That would probably explain why it is slower than older VB compilers. In the past, applications created with Visual C++ would run faster than those made with VB. This is no longer the case. All Visual Studio Languages (C#, C++ and VB) all compile to .NET bytecode. Because the resulting bytecode is the same, you choose the language whose syntax you are most familiar with. I feel the benefits of switching to .NET are worth the performance loss. Because .NET is Microsoft's answer to Java, everything is now heavily dependant on Objects. OO programming with VB.NET is incredibly simple. Chances are any structure or function/method you'd like to use is already written - you just need to find the proper namespace in the .NET framework, import it into your code and then create an instance of the object you want. It's OO at its best. I would definitely not recommend VB.NET to people who have no programming experience. You need to get your feet wet with something else before delving into this. Just to clarify compatibility issues; VB.NET requires WinNT, Win2k, or WinXP Professional. It's my understanding that it will work on WinXP Home for applications, but you need XP Pro for creating/testing Web forms.
87 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Another Microsoft [Bad deal],
By
This review is from: Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Standard [Old Version] (DVD-ROM)
I purchased Microsoft Visual Basic.NET Standard under the misinformation that I was getting an actual functioning development package. I also purchased a book to help me get started "Using MS Visual Basic.NET" from Que. It was only after I attempted to work through the web application example did I find the problem. I only received a small portion of the program, which did not even let me work though the simple examples in the book.Not only did I need the "Professional" version to perform any of the examples shown in the book; I needed to upgrade my operating system from XP Home Edition to XP Professional. This fact was well hidden in the documentation. In fact, it was only when I tried to install some missing files did I find that I could not create web applications. I could not create DLL's. I couldn't do a lot of the basic functions. So in order to just use the program as advertised, I would need to spend another [$]+ to upgrade to the Professional version of VB and another [$] for XP Professional. Sure with rebate, it is "only" [$], but I am already into it for [$] for the VB.NET Standard. The advertisement on the box states that I can upgrade my VB 6 applications, create XML documents, create class libraries. I can't even work through the simple examples, because the tools are not included. Don't bother purchasing this edition. It may be a great product for the professional programer, but it is priced out of the league for the rest of us mortals.
38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
VB Programmers beware!,
By Divide By Zero "Sisnaz" (SLC, UT United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Standard [Old Version] (DVD-ROM)
First of all, don't even waste your time or money on the standard edition. There's nothing standard about it, it's more like a trial version then anything else. Second, I'm not sure why Microsoft is calling this Visual Basic because it's a near complete different language. They have revamped VB to be more like Java. VB.net is purely interpreted with it's own VM and memory manager/garbage collector. The complied VB.net apps run much more slowly than VB 6 apps. Quite honest, with all the new changes, I don't see any incentives of using VB for windows apps anymore. I can get the same performance and functionality using Java now, plus Java is platform independent.
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