xviii Introduction
Visual Basic Versions
So how did we get here, anyway? Between 1991 and 1998, Microsoft released six versions
of Visual Basic (versions 1 .0 through 6 .0), which revolutionized software development for
Windows by introducing event-driven programming to a wide audience based on the
QuickBasic programming language and an IDE. After a significant period of additional
development and innovation, Microsoft released Visual Basic .NET 2002, an object-oriented
programming language closely related to Visual Basic but implemented on the Microsoft
.NET Framework, a comprehensive library of coded solutions intended to be used by most
new applications that run on the Windows platform. As improved versions of Visual Basic
came out in 2003, 2005, and 2008, Visual Basic became a component within the Visual
Studio suite, and significant support was added to the product for database, Internet,
and team development projects, as well as continued improvements to the .NET Framework.
Visual Basic 2010 is now so tightly integrated with Visual Studio that it is available only
as a component in the Visual Studio 2010 programming suite, which includes Visual C#,
Visual C++, Visual Web Developer, and other Microsoft .NET development tools. Since
2005, both Visual Basic and Visual Studio have been marketed without the “ .NET” moniker,
although they are still based on the .NET Framework technology.Visual Studio 2010 is distributed in several different product configurations, including
Professional, Premium, Ultimate, and Express. I’ve written this book to be compatible
with all editions of Visual Basic 2010 and Visual Studio 2010, but especially with the tools
and techniques available in Visual Studio 2010 Professional and Visual Basic 2010 Express.
Although Visual Basic 2010 is similar in many ways to Visual Basic 2008, there are many
important differences and improvements, so I recommend that you complete the exercises
in this book using the Visual Basic 2010 software.Note The Visual Studio 2010 software is not included with this book. The CD distributed with
most versions of this book contains practice files, sample databases, and other useful information
that requires the Visual Studio 2010 software (sold separately) for use. If you don’t have Visual
Studio, you can download Visual Basic 2010 Express for free, and it contains an amazing palette
of features, though obviously not all the features of Visual Studio Professional, Premium, or
Ultimate. As you complete the exercises in this book, I will note from time to time which features
are unavailable to you if you are using Visual Basic 2010 Express. Also note that if you are using
Visual Basic 2010 Express and you want to complete Chapter 20, “Creating Web Sites and Web
Pages by Using Visual Web Developer and ASP .NET,” you will need to download Visual Web
Developer 2010 Express to complete the exercises. Visual Web Developer is included in Visual
Studio Professional, Premium, and Ultimate, but not Visual Basic Express.