Is it worth buying VS.NET 2005

[diverdan]

Hi there,

About a year ago I was given a copy of vs.net 1.1 and didn't really do to much with it.

Over the last month I have been getting into learning vb.net.

Would it be a good idea for me to purchase the upgrade and be learning to use 2005?
I just don't want to buy 2005 and then next year 2007 comes out.


Any suggestions would be very helpful.


Thanks
Shane

 

[JohnH]

start with the free VS 2005 Express, you can do a lot with this edition, more than enough to understand if you need to buy a more feature rich edition later.

 

[jmcilhinney]

I'm a professional developer and I'm using the Express editions at the moment. They have the vast majority of what most people will need; particularly those who are just learning. They do lack some things and when I get to a point that I need one of those features I'll be shelling out for the Pro version but there is unlikely to be anything you need missing. As far as 2005 compared to 2003, using 2003 now is like going back to Windows 98. The new IDE has heaps of new features and the new Framework is also a big improvement. Unfirtunately the IDE is a little flaky at the moment. Microsoft released it before it was genuinely ready so they didn't miss their promised release date by too much, but there's a service pack in the works and when that drops we'll have a truly fantastic IDE.