Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 - Classes, Learning, Free
As the leader in PC operating systems, desktop applications, and development tools, Microsoft has a reputation of constantly upgrading their programming tools and books, classes, and courses aimed at instruction in those field. As long as a vast army of programmers is using MS programming tools and designing applications for MS operating systems (like Windows!), Microsoft is happy! Visual Studio 2005 is the latest in their line of developer tools, allowing programmers to quickly build applications and programs for Windows, the Web, and mobile devices (using programming languages like C/C++, C#, J#, or Visual Basic), create solutions that span multiple platforms and devices, and cut time-to-market when creating powerful, scalable applications.
Both Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 are over a year late from their initial planned release dates (isn't all MS software these days?) Microsoft's Common Language Runtime (CLR) has been integrated into the database engine - so Visual Studio is the de facto programming environment for SQL Server, given these close ties. Microsoft also offer "express" versions of Visual Studio aimed at student developers and non-professional programmers, with a streamlined development environment with less complex functionality. How much does MS Visual Studio cost? At the retail level, MS Visual Studio 2005 Professional lists for $799, $549 for an upgrade. MS Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition is $299, $199 as an upgrade. Visual Studio free download? Microsoft also offers a trial version of Visual Studio that you can get for $5 on a CD. They are limited and work for 60 days, but allow you to test and build programs as you experiment with the design tools. If you decide to purchase the full version, you uninstall the trial and reinstall the complete version, and all of your program settings, data files, etc. will be preserved, allowing for a seamless transition.
Where can I buy MS Visual Studio? Best deal on discounted Visual Studio
Buying Visual Studio is easy. You can get it direct from Microsoft.com, or from any of the leading software resellers online - Amazon.com, Best Buy, CDW, CompUSA, Costco, J&R, Newegg.com, PC Mall, etc.
If you are not ready to buy but just want to learn more about Visual Studio 2005, check out the MS website here. MS offers free learning courses, but only for a short time. From their website: "Whether you are interested in creating Windows forms, building Web applications, implementing Data Access, or finding out about Visual Studio Team System, you can access the E-Learning topic you want, when you want it, and learn at your own pace. Each lesson includes hands-on virtual labs and offline functionality." Courses include, Introduction to Visual Studio Team System, Building Data Components in MS Visual Studio 2005, Building Windows Forms Applications with MS Visual Studio 2005, Building Web Applications with ASP .NET 2.0, and more.
Given Microsoft's dominance in the programming and development tool world, you can't go wrong developing expertise using Visual Studio, as it will be in high-demand in most IT environments, especially when it comes to SQL Server database design and administration and in web-based applications.
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