Introduction xix
Downloading Visual Basic 2010 Express
As noted previously, if you don’t have Visual Studio 2010 Professional, Visual Studio 2010
Premium, or Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate, you can complete most of the exercises in this
book by downloading Visual Basic 2010 Express from the Web for free. This will give you
an opportunity to learn Visual Basic programming and see for yourself if you want to
upgrade to a full release of the Visual Studio software.To download Visual Basic 2010 Express, complete the following steps:- Open a Web browser (such as Internet Explorer), and go to http://www.microsoft.com/
express. - Follow the instructions on the screen to download Visual Basic 2010 Express.
On the Express Web site, you will also see an Express product feature chart that compares
the Express product to the full versions of Visual Studio. Although there are some key
differences between the full versions and Visual Basic 2010 Express, many of these
differences have no effect on how you learn the essential techniques and features of
Visual Basic programming. After you experiment with the Express product, you can decide
whether you want to upgrade to one of the full versions of Visual Studio or not. Now, let’s
get started learning about Visual Basic and how this programming course works!Finding Your Best Starting Point in This Book
This book is designed to help you build skills in a number of essential areas. You can use it if
you’re new to programming, switching from another programming language, or upgrading
from Visual Basic 2008. Use the following table to find your best starting point in this book.If you are... Follow these steps
New to
programming- Install the practice files as described in the section “Installing and Using the
Practice Files,” later in this Introduction. - Learn basic skills for using Visual Basic 2010 by working sequentially from
Chapter 1 through Chapter 17. - Complete Part IV, “Database and Web Programming,” as your level of
interest or experience dictates.
Upgrading from
Visual Basic 2005
or 2008 - Install the practice files as described in “Installing and Using the
Practice Files .” - Complete Chapters 1 through 4, skim Chapters 5 through 17, and complete
Chapters 18 through 20.