Chapter 1. Visual Studio

The new features of Visual Basic 2005 are actually provided by three separate components: the enhanced Visual Studio 2005 IDE, a new version of the VB compiler (vbc.exe), and the revamped .NET 2.0 Framework. In this chapter, you'll start by taking Visual Studio 2005 for a spin.

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Note: At first glance, Visual Studio hasn't changed too radically in its latest incarnation. However, it's worth taking a moment to orient yourself to Microsoft's newest IDE.

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Tip: Visual Studio 2005 is the direct successor to Visual Studio .NET, and it provides the most complete set of tools and features. Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition allows you to build Windows applications, console applications, and DLL components (but not web applications). Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition allows you to build only web applications. However, all three of these programs are really variations of the same toolVisual Studio. As a result, the menus, toolbars, and behavior of these applications are essentially the same.

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