What is Visual Basic.

Net

Visual Basic .NET is Microsoft's Visual Basic on their .NET framework. Visual Basic is
an object oriented programming language. Any programmer can develop
applications quickly with Visual Basic. It is a very user-friendly language. All you
have to do is arrange components using visual tools and then write code for the
components. Most programmers of Visual Basic use Visual Studio for their
development needs. Moving forward, Microsoft's .NET framework is composed of
preprogrammed code that users can access anytime. This preprogrammed code is
referred to as the class library. The programs in the class library can be combined or
modified in order to suit the needs of programmers. Programs in .NET run on the
CLR or the Common Language Runtime environment. Regardless of computer, as
long as this environment is present, programs developed in a .NET language will
run.

Evolution of VB.Net

Before VB .NET, there was VB and before there was VB, there was BASIC. BASIC
stands for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. It was developed in
1963 by computer scientists John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz in Dartmouth College.
It was a general purpose programming language that was intended for beginners. In
1975, when the MITS Altair 8800 Microcomputer was released, BASIC became Altair
BASIC, developed by the computer heavyweights Bill Gates and Paul Allen. During
the eighties, when the personal computer was starting to get into everyone's
homes, the BASIC computer language started to lose its hold on the market because
more and more people and corporations were using computer programs for complex
tasks rather than simple and "basic" tasks. In 1991, BASIC was infused with its
Visual component and became Visual Basic. The new graphical user interface was
pioneered by Alan Cooper. Visual Basic was not an instant hit at first due to
compatibility issues but it began getting a solid following in the mid to late nineties
when developers started becoming familiar with it. In the new millennium, the
Visual Basic .NET became the successor of the Visual Basic programming
languages.

Advantages and Disadvantages of VB.Net

Pros

You can develop programs faster using the VB .NET programming language.
You have so many resources in the .NET Class Library to take advantage of.
VB .NET has full access to the .NET framework.
 It is easier to program using Microsoft development environments like Visual
Studio.
It is easier to organize your thoughts in an object-oriented programming
language like VB .NET.
There are a lot of books and tutorials to improve your skills in VB .NET.
The VB language itself interfaces with Microsoft applications seamlessly
(VBA).

Cons

Debugging is very difficult on the VB .NET programming languages especially

with long codes.
You'll spend hundreds of dollars purchasing development tools from Microsoft
(Retail version of Visual Studio costs around $300).

Where VB.Net is most useful

The VB .NET programming language is most useful for rapid application

development or RAD. If you want to get your programs up and running in a jiffy then
you should use VB .NET. Since VB .NET is more suitable for quick and easy
programming, it is not recommended for the large, enterprise-wide software
development solutions. Debugging and finding your way through long and tangling
lines of VB .NET code will simply give you headaches.

What is the Microsoft .Net framework?

You may be wondering why the .NET aspect of Visual Basic is so important in today's
times. In simple terms, .NET is a framework made by Microsoft so that developers
can take advantage of code on the internet. Many developers through the years
have developed code for their specific programming languages like C#, C++, Visual
Basic, etcetera... Instead of making code over and over again, the .NET framework
allows programmers and developers to use code on the .NET framework to aid in
the development of their software programs. Imagine the .NET framework as sort of
a file sharing program that benefits all the programmers across all the programming
languages that use the .NET framework. When you program in Visual Basic .NET,
you are taking advantage of a rich source of programming code that has been
accumulated through the years.

Advantages of using the Microsoft .NET framework

 Code execution and deployment is made much simpler for developers.
Code execution and deployment is assured to be safe and free from viruses.
Programming models are now similar across different languages. Choosing a
programming language is already up to you.
Programming models adhere consistently with object oriented styles.

Object-oriented programming

Object oriented programming is a programming paradigm that makes use of objects

to develop computer programs. When you objectify certain parts in a program or
when you modularize it, you promote greater flexibility in overall programming.
When you use object oriented programming languages, you can make objects
interact with one another to accomplish goals. Instead of writing code one by one
every time you make a program, you can use the previously designed objects to
your advantage. The VB .NET language is one of the premiere object oriented
programming languages in the market today.

Classes, inheritance and methods

Classes

Classes are used to describe objects. They are the overarching description of an
object. For example, cat is a class that is used to describe an actual cat. If you have
an actual cat named Garfield then it is an object. In the object oriented
programming paradigm, it is important that you understand the difference between
a class and an object. As you go on doing programming tasks, you need to
understand these concepts in order to make your programming easier and much
more effective.

Inheritance

Some classes will have subclasses. For example, if you mention the class cat then
there can be a subclass lion, tiger, or cheetah. Subclasses are said to inherit the
traits of its mother class. In the VB .NET programming language, objects inherit the
properties of its mother objects.

Methods

Now that you are familiar with the essence of objects in object oriented
programming, you should now familiarize yourself with what objects can do. The
ability of an object to do something or perform a task is said to be its method or
methods. If the object Garfield is of class cat and subclass house cat then it may
have methods such as eating and meowing. An object in the VB .NET programming
language may have one or more methods that you can take advantage of while
developing your applications.
You will eventually learn how to use the several tools at your disposal in the later
chapters. Once you are familiar with the core concepts of the VB .NET programming
language, it will be easier for you to take advantage of the limitless possibilities
before you. You will be using a lot of objects later on so make sure that you know
what they are.