Visual Basic development software - Visual Studio?

[rjnewbie]

I would like to steer my current career choice as a mechanical designer, employing Autodesk's Mechanical Desktop, and Inventor, with a little Solidworks thrown in, into more of a managerial position. This leap would include learning some programming language that I could customize our design software, for some simple selection programs, and other programs to make our life here a little easier. Also to pad the resume. To that end, you can tell from my username, that I am the proverbial "vb.net virgin". I have found online classes I will be taking from a local vocational school, have the hardware, but need to purchase the software. When I search so-called "software sites" looking for vb.net, I keep coming up with visual studio. I did find it at Amazon, but it's no longer available. 1) Can anyone help me with where I can find the latest version online (vb.net 2.0 ?) 2) What's the difference between studio, and .net? 3) Can you buy direct from Microsoft?

Any information you could give would be greatly appreciated. As this progresses, you will undoubtedly be seeing more questions. Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnH]

Get the Visual Basic 2005 Express free at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/default.aspx It's using (and including if necessary) .Net Framework 2.0.

 

[vis781]

Hi rjnewbie, welcome to the forums and i would first like to wish you all the best of luck in your new carreer path.

1.) Visual Studio.Net 2005 IS available from Amazon and here's the link to it...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/026-8436324-5407610?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=software-uk&field-keywords=visual%20studio.net%202005

Also you maybe able to find it in some pc stores and software stores.

2.) Visual Studio is the entity by which we interoperate with the .Net framework, which is, in turn, the buildings blocks of the whole of .Net.

The .Net framework is a large library of classes than wrap the common (and sometimes less common) 'Windows API' (the bits that make windows work) It also includes a 'Common Language Runtime' Amongst other things.

Visual Studio encompasses 4 languages which are at your disposal to program with. As you are here that means you have chosen VB.net (and might i just say a good choice for someone with no programming background) It also includes a IDE (Integrated Design Environment) through which you can easily design windows forms applications, much easier than you would think. As well as web based applications and windows services.
Google will be your main source of information i would think, there are literally tonnes of articles, tutorials etc so long as you search for the right things, as well as that i would get yourself a good book, i would personally reccommend anything written by 'Franseco Baleana' Then of course there is always us!! Most of us are here a good amount of the time and any question you ask will get a response pretty quickly. So if you get stuck come and ask.

3.) Can you buy directly from microsoft? You don't need to, you can get just about anything from amazon and the like.

Hope that helps, i have highlighted in blue some some of the things that i feel you will need to do your first google on. Good Luck.

 

[cjard]

1) Can anyone help me with where I can find the latest version online (vb.net 2.0 ?)

download.microsoft.com will allow you to obtain a free edition of the studio as John commented. The restrictions it has are suitably wide for a novice not to bother about them

2) What's the difference between studio, and .net?

Relating this to what you know, you could say that Studio is like Solidworks or Autodesk - By some visual design aspect they allow you to produce an output. Suppose CNC milling machines that will make your product you designed in solidworks, run on a standardised set of commands. If, by using solidworks, you can visually create a file that contains all those gobbledegook commands then you have done for CNC what Studio does for .net
.net is the underlying language that VB, C# C++ and J# all compile to. Any computer with the .net framework ( a set of supporting libraries that enable .net applications to run ) can run the app, jsut as any CNC mill can create your component if the commands file is in the standard format

3) Can you buy direct from Microsoft?

No, MS operate through resellers because it's unfeasible for them to perform the hassle of shipping stuff out (too busy doing other things). The one exception might be when you install a dodgy copy of XP and the Genuine Advantage system catches you out and offers to sell you a legal key - there's no product, just an email in exchange for your $$

MS, like a few big corporations, are also in the fantastic situation of not needing to support their products unless you really give them a lot of money - it's almost de facto that you buy their software then seek help from other users if it fails. Brilliance!

 

[vis781]

.net is the underlying language that VB, C# C++ and J# all compile to. Any computer with the .net framework ( a set of supporting libraries that enable .net applications to run ) can run the app, jsut as any CNC mill can create your component if the commands file is in the standard format

To clarify, .Net isn't a language at all. It is just a brand if you like. The language that all languages supported by the .Net Framework compile to is MSIL (Microsoft Intermediate Language) it is then converted to the appropriate 'machine code' by the JIT (Just In Time Compiler)

To break it down...

The Languages

VB.Net, C#, Managed C++, J#

The Engine...

The Common Language Runtime

The References/Support

The .Net Framework class libraries.

Any computer with the .net framework ( a set of supporting libraries that enable .net applications to run ) can run the app, jsut as any CNC mill can create your component if the commands file is in the standard format

It sounds like i'm splitting hairs, but the above statement isn't completely correct, Any computer, yes, but .Net isn't supported on operating systems eariler than Windows 98, and yes i do still know of people who are currently running Win98.

 

[cjard]

hairsplittings accepted - better to have these things hammered out..rjnewbie, you'll frequently come across people using .NET in the way i did here - its kinda like saying "Sellotape" or "hoover" when you want stickybacked tape or a vacumm based cleaning device.. as a brand name, it's typically used to reer to the underlying goo that makes the programs go.

On the last point, i still think the simplified point stands - a computer needs the .net framework to run .NET apps - i wouldnt expect the .NET FW to install on windows 95. Of course, it's implicit here that computer is a contraction of "computer running a suitable microsoft operating system" but again, vis781's clarification of this is accepted - .net apps dont run on computers using the linux operating system for example, simply because there is no .net framework for linux. If there were, im sure the apps would run (but we are getting back to the '.net is java upside down' discussion )

 

[rjnewbie]

Thanks for the help vis781- I used the link you provided, and found the Visual Studio you suggested, but professional? Pretty expensive for me right now. Wouldn't the standard version works just as good for what I need?

 

[vis781]

Yep it would, sorry i didn't realise that was professional here's a link to site that sells both the pro edition and the standard edition.....

http://www.ecostsoftware.com/uk/shop/pc/viewFamily.asp?id=725


you can always upgrade it later if you find you'd like to go pro!!