What is Visual Basic?

Visual Basic 2008 is an evolution of the Visual Basic language that is engineered for productively building type-safe and object-oriented applications. Visual Basic enables developers to target Windows, Web, and mobile devices. Learn more:

• Visual Basic Guided Tour
• Visual Basic Language Walkthroughs
• Developing Applications with Visual Basic

What is Visual Studio and the .NET Framework?

Visual Studio is the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in which developers work when creating programs in one of many languages, including Visual Basic, for the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework is a development and execution environment that allows different programming languages and libraries to work together seamlessly to create Windows, Web, Mobile, and Office applications. Learn more:

• Visual Studio Learning Resources
• .NET Framework Conceptual Overview

Get the Tools

There are several ways you can try out Visual Basic programming with Visual Studio and the .NET Framework. Learn more:

• Download Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition Free
• Evaluate Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition Free for 90 Days
• Try Visual Studio 2008 Professional with these Virtual Labs
• How to Buy Visual Studio 2008

Learn More About Visual Basic

Whether you are new to development or a programming veteran, we have taken some of the best Visual Basic learning materials and compiled them to help you learn Visual Basic quickly.

• Visual Basic How Do I Videos
• Visual Basic Books
• Visual Basic Learning Resources

Do you want to upgrade from Visual Basic 6.0? Check out Visual Basic 6.0 Interoperability and Migration.