1.2 The .NET PlatformIn July 2000, Microsoft announced the .NET platform, a development framework that provides a new way to create Windows applications. However, .NET goes beyond traditional Windows programming to facilitate creating web applications quickly and easily. And VB.NET is one of the premier languages Microsoft supports for development in this new and exciting .NET space. Reports are that Microsoft is devoting 80% of its research and development budget to .NET and its associated technologies. The results of this commitment are impressive. For one thing, the scope of .NET is huge. The platform consists of three separate product groups:
The VB.NET language can be used to develop three types of applications you can run on your Windows computer:
This book will focus primarily on the basics of the VB.NET language, mostly using simple console applications to illustrate language fundamentals. |