In this book, we cover Visual Basic virtually from start to finish. We begin by looking at the .NET Framework and end by looking at the best practices for deploying .NET applications. In between, we look at everything from database access to integration with other technologies such as XML, along with investigating the new features in detail. You will see that Visual Basic 2005 has emerged as a powerful yet easy-to-use language that will allow you to target the Internet just as easily as the desktop.
This book is written to help experienced developers learn about Visual Basic 2005. From those who are just starting the transition from earlier versions to those who have used Visual Basic for a while and need to gain a deeper understanding, this book provides a discussion on the most common programming tasks and concepts you need.
Although, it is possible to create Visual Basic applications using the command-line tools contained in the.NET Framework SDK, you will need Visual Studio 2005 (Professional or higher), which includes the .NET Framework SDK, to get the most out of this book. You may use Visual Studio .NET 2002 or Visual Studio 2003 instead, but there may be cases where much of the lessons will just not work because functionalities and capabilities will not be available in these older versions.