FREE - Express Editions of MS Visual Studio 2005

[SunnyD]

So very not intuitive. Windows Forms make C++ feel like VB. How sad.

Also - it's lightweight. Can't seem to do useful things like make DLL's and such. Looks like .NET 2k3 stays a little while longer.

 

[micnn]

Hey dude, it's the other way around... window forms is made to be like vb (higher level)

VS 2005 is aimed at hardcore vc programmers who have neither the time nor patience to move into .net managed c. It's still yet too premature for .net ide to deal with library and low level stuff for those who have the needs. .net/c# makes it easy for web services and windows gui stuff, but the majorities of vc users who deal with native apis and bits-n-bytes and therefore control every detailed aspect of their program have been holding on to their old carpenter tools! vs2005 is looking gooooood so far.

Originally posted by: SunnyD
So very not intuitive. Windows Forms make C++ feel like VB. How sad.

Also - it's lightweight. Can't seem to do useful things like make DLL's and such. Looks like .NET 2k3 stays a little while longer.

 

[DurocShark]

Nice for me. I'm a total duffer.

 

[formulav8]

I've been messing with the Visual Basic version for a couple days now. They have added some very nice features and changes.

Very simple ot create menu's. Just a couple clicks and you even have icons in the menu's!

They finally added support for operator overloading! It also seems that Visual Basic will now support unmanaged pointers too.

They finally added native support for playing sounds. There is a new SoundPlayer class.

Finally added back the pause and resume feature that VB6.0 has. Example: if you get a exception, the app will pause, you can edit your code, and click resume. You no longer have to completely restart your app if you get a exception!

There is alot of other stuff too. At my website, I added a couple news posts about more of the new features and in more detail.

Goto: http://portal.vbcodesource.com/portal to goto my website.


Jason

 

[NumbersGuy]

Read someplace else that the Express versions, when released (these are betas) will be aimed at students and occassional programmers, at the $50 range.

- this is a great opportunity to play with all their products

Got mine, thanks fallenangel99

 

[FrustratedUser]

Just signed up.

 

[nbarb99]

Any idea if the VB2005 Express Edition will coexist with VB6 Pro? I'd like to check it out but I don't have a test rig to install it on other than my main computer.

 

[formulav8]

I have: VB6.0, VB.NET 2002, VB.NET 2003, and VB.NET 2005 Beta1. They are all co-existing on the same hd. I have no problems.


Jason

 

[Alternex]

Here's a leaked image of the new context menu for vb.net!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: formulav8
I have: VB6.0, VB.NET 2002, VB.NET 2003, and VB.NET 2005 Beta1. They are all co-existing on the same hd. I have no problems.

I used to have VC 1.52c, VC 4.0, VC 5.0 SP3, and VC 6.0 SP5 all installed on the same machine, along with half-a-dozen other C/C++ compiliers from other vendors. No issues.

My question is - is there a way to download a full ("network", in MS-speak) installer package, basically something I download all at once, instead of installing some spyware-ish "download helper" app?

Edit: With a little help from Google, I found these direct-download links to the "full download" versions, courtesy of a Microsofties' weblog post. I hope this is ok to post them here, they are after all freely-available downloads (of MS beta software).

MSDN Express
Visual Cplusplus Express
Visual CeeSharp Express
DotNet 2.0 beta 1 runtime x86
Visual Web Developer Express
Visual Basic Express
SQL Express

I found a link to the download-installer version of Visual JaySharp Express, haven't yet located the full-install download yet.

Edit 2: Hmm, testing those links, they seem to just hang forever, using Mozilla Firefox 0.9.1. They worked fine pasted into GetRight though. Possibly some anti-Mozilla tactic by MS? I dunno. YMMV on those links, I guess.

 

[Staples]

Originally posted by: formulav8
I have: VB6.0, VB.NET 2002, VB.NET 2003, and VB.NET 2005 Beta1. They are all co-existing on the same hd. I have no problems.

I have VS7 C# as well as this new version. Using them both with no problem but you know what, the MSDN library for this express version is a lot better. Too bad I have to have the express version running just to use it. Makes more windows to alt+tab through.

 

[formulav8]

I have been messing with the VB.NET version alittle more now. I really like the classes in the 2.0 version of the Framework. Plus updates to alot of the previous classes. I also like unmanaged support for pointers. Operator Overloading. There are also some nice new controls. Finally builtin support for playing wave files. I never did understand why it took so long for a simple api function to be put in a wrapper. I like the new main menu and context menu support. It has never been easier to put icons in menu's. A simple click of a button and select the image you want to add. There's alot more stuff but I can't remeber it all right now.

One thing I do not like is the slow IDE. I have a Athlon64 system and for some odd reason, whenever I compile the project, even a small project, it takes longer than I think it should to compile. Plus it is alittle lag whenever you add a control to the form. I know it is beta. So there is no harm at all. Just annoying.



Jason