523Appendix
Where to Go for More Information
This book has presented beginning, intermediate, and advanced Microsoft Visual Basic 2010
programming techniques with the aim of making you a confident software developer and
Windows programmer. Now that you’ve experimented with many of the tools and features
in Visual Basic 2010, you’re ready for more advanced topics and the full breadth of the
Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 development suite.If you have your sights set on a career in Visual Basic programming, you might also want to
test your proficiency by preparing for a certified exam in Visual Basic 2010 development. In
this appendix, you’ll learn about additional resources for Visual Basic programming, including
helpful Web sites, a source for certification information, and books that you can use to
expand your Visual Basic programming skills.Visual Basic Web Sites
The Web is a boon to programmers and is definitely the fastest mechanism for gathering
the latest information about Visual Basic 2010 and related technologies. In this section, I list
several of the Web sites that I use to learn about new products and services related to Visual
Basic. As you use this list, note that the Internet address and contents of each site change
from time to time, so the sites might not appear exactly as I’ve described them. Considering
the constant ebb and flow of the Internet, it’s also a good idea to search for “Visual Basic,”
“Visual Studio 2010,” and “Visual Basic Tutorial” occasionally to see what new information is
available. (For the most specific hits, include the quotes around each search item as shown .)
You might also find some useful information if you search for the product’s early code names
such as “Visual Basic 10 .”http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vbasic/default.aspxThe Microsoft Visual Basic Developer Center home page is the best overall site for
documentation, breaking news, conference information, and product support for Visual
Basic 2010. (If you’re not interested in the U .S. English language site, browse to the Web
site and select a different language in the list box at the top of the page .) The Developer
Center gives you up-to-date information about the entire Visual Basic product line and lets
you know how new operating systems, applications, and programming tools affect Visual
Basic development. Features that I like here are the blogs by Visual Basic team members,
and access to recent videos and downloads.Table of Contents
Where to Go for More Information.......................... 523
Visual Basic Web Sites............................................... 523
Video Web Sites.................................................... 524
Books about Visual Basic and Visual
Studio Programming................................................ 525
Visual Basic Programming...................................... 526
Microsoft .NET Framework...................................... 526
Database Programming with ADO .NET........................... 526
Web Programming with ASP .NET................................ 527
Office Programming........................................... 527
General Books about Programming and Computer Science......... 528