Learning Visual Basic .NET

Most Visual Basic .NET books are written for experienced object-oriented programmers, but many programmers jumping on the .NET bandwagon are coming from non-object-oriented languages, such as Visual Basic 6.0 or from script programming, such as JavaScript. These programmers, and those who are adopting VB.NET as their first programming language, have been out of luck when it comes to finding a high-quality introduction to the language that helps them get started.

That's why Jesse Liberty, author of the best-selling books Programming C# and Programming ASP.NET, has written an entry-level guide to Visual Basic .NET. Written in a warm and friendly manner, this book assumes no prior programming experience, and provides an easy introduction to Microsoft's most popular .NET language.

Learning Visual Basic .NET is a complete introduction to VB.NET and object-oriented programming. This book will help you build a solid foundation in .NET, and show how to apply your skills by using hundreds of examples to help you become productive quickly. Learning Visual Basic .NET introduces fundamentals like Visual Studio .NET, a tool set for building Windows and Web applications. You'll learn about the syntax and structure of the Visual Basic .NET language, including operators, classes and interfaces, structs, arrays, and strings. Liberty then demonstrates how to develop various kinds of applications—including those that work with databases—and web services.

By the time you've finished Learning Visual Basic .NET, you'll be ready to move on to a more advanced programming guide that will help you create large-scale web and Windows applications.

Whether you have a little object-oriented programming experience or you are new to programming altogether, Visual Basic .NET will set you firmly on your way to mastering the essentials of the VB.NET language.

Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) is a programming language that facilitates object-oriented Internet development. Assuming no prior programming experience on the part of the reader, this guide presents an in-depth introduction to fundamentals such as Visual Studio .NET, object-oriented programming principles, and the VB.NET language itself. Topics include, for example, variables and constants, looping and branching, structures and interfaces, and basic debugging. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Jesse Liberty, "Silverlight Geek", is a senior program manager for Microsoft Silverlight in the Silverlight Development Division where he is responsible for the creation of tutorials, videos and other content to facilitate the learning and use of Silverlight.

Even before joining Microsoft, Jesse is well known in the industry in part because of his many bestselling books, including O'Reilly Media's Programming .NET 3.5, Programming C# 3.0, Learning ASP.NET with AJAX and the soon to be published Programming Silverlight. He has over two decades experience writing software, consulting and training, with stints as at AT&T as a Distinguished Software Engineer and at Citibank as a Vice President in the Information Division.