SUMMARY

Congratulations! You have completed the first step on the road to becoming a Visual C++ programmer. This chapter has covered a lot of ground for an introductory chapter, but don't worry if you didn't understand all the details. If you stay focused on the larger picture, the material will become much more intuitive and natural.

In this chapter, you learned about what Visual C++ 2005 Express is and what it is not. You also learned a bit of the history behind Visual C++ and where it fits into the Microsoft Visual Studio line of products. This chapter also covered the .NET Framework, including how it works and how Visual Studio products make use of it.

In addition, you learned the five basic steps involved in developing a Visual C++ application. You then put this information together and developed your first Visual C++ application, the Joke Machine.

Before you move on to the next chapter, take a few more minutes to see if you can improve on the Joke Machine by implementing the following list of challenges.