Have you noticed that the majority of .NET books seem intent on hiding you from real-world code? You can buy a 1,500-page draft excluder, study it intensively for a month, and still be none the wiser as to how to write basic programs. This book isn’t like that.

Within these pages, you’ll learn how to create exciting new XP-style interfaces, and how to code ultra-thin Windows applications that automatically update via the Web. You’ll learn how to apply dozens of ASP.NET secrets, how to push your DataGrid to the max in Windows applications and on the Web, and how to add powerful Google, Amazon, and TerraServer searches to your applications.

You’ll also discover ways to obtain Microsoft code and save hours of development time; you’ll uncover the truth behind creating fast programs that run on anything from PDAs to mobile phones to microwaves; you’ll be exposed to a hidden .NET language; and you’ll find out why you need to know at least some C# (and then be given a cheat course on the basics.)

The useful code and .NET programming tips having been personally developed by the author over the past three years—these aren’t updated Visual Basic 6 code scraps. Everything within these pages has been created and tested for VB .NET and ASP.NET.