Windows Developer Power Tools

6.1 Building .NET Applications with Visual Studio Express

Since its inception with Bill Gates and Paul Allen porting the Basic programming language to the Altair 8080, Microsoft has always strived to provide the best platform for application developers of all skill levels. While Microsoft focused primarily on professional and enterprise development in previous releases, with Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions, it decided to “go big” with beginners, students, and enthusiasts by making the tools permanently free, to enable the next generation of developers.

Visual Studio Express Editions at a Glance
Tool	Visual Studio Express Editions
Version covered	2005
Home page	http://msdn.microsoft.com/express/
Power Tools page	http://www.windevpowertools.com/tools/63
Summary	Five free, lightweight, easy-to-use, and easy-to-learn tools for the hobbyist, novice, and student developer. Products support Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual C++, and Visual J#. Visual Web Developer Express is designed for web development. SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, a free, lightweight database, is also available as an optional component.
License type	Microsoft EULA; applications built with Express can be distributed commercially
Online resources	Visual Studio Express forums (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=68009), Visual Studio Starter Kits (http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/starterkits/), fun and cool projects ...