Summary
Over fifteen years ago, Visual Basic transformed the Windows development landscape, with its drag-and-drop programming model and its glitzy event-driven development structure. But Windows has changed a lot since those days of Windows 3.x. As Windows has changed, Visual Basic has changed right along with it. Visual Basic 2005, through its association with the .NET Framework, provides access to the programming tools needed to develop quality applications for the Windows desktop, the Internet, and the next generation of mobile devices.
And Microsoft is not halting this progress with the 2005 release. The next version of Visual Basic, code-named "Orcas," promises to include even more advanced features that will take full advantage of Windows Vista and its .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly named WinFX) programming interface.