With the release of .NET 2.0, the Visual Basic 2005 language has been updated with numerous new programming constructs (XML code documentation, operator overloading, generics, and partial types just to name a few!). Now more than ever, choosing a .NET language boils down to personal preference (rather than a language's feature set).

However, to effectively make use of these new language features, developers must have a rock-solid grounding in object-oriented technology, assemblies, and the core .NET technologies. The purpose of Pro VB 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform, Second Edition is to provide you with such a foundation by diving deep into the language of VB 2005 and the platform of .NET. Thus, rather than simply showing how a code wizard can generate all the code on your behalf, this text will first show you how to author the code yourself so you can alter the generated code to your liking.

Beyond learning all the details of the VB 2005 programming language, you will also dive into the details of building desktop applications (using Windows Forms) and websites (via ASP.NET 2.0), and how to interact with relational databases (à la ADO.NET). Furthermore, you will explore how to build distributed applications using the .NET remoting layer and XML web services. Rest assured, this text will expose you to all the major services of the .NET platform and put you in the perfect position for further exploration.