VBNet versions

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BillSoo

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What is the difference between different versions of VBnet and Net studio. MS is rather cryptic about it as usual.....

In particular, can VB.Net ACADEMIC edition compile? Or is it like VB6 Working model edition....

Is there a Standard edition of Net Studio? Or is it professional/Enterprise only. If there is a Standard edition, what are the features.

Thanks for any info.
 
To be honest the best way to find out what the versions include is to look on Microsoft's main site that has nice little charts for what is included and not included in each version next to each other for comparison;

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/howtobuy/choosing.asp

There is no Standard edition of Studio, as Standard refers to just the basics of one IDE (I say IDE because you can download the entire .NET SDK off their site which is 120 megs and compile your own programs old-school style using a text editor and command prompt). Professional and up is the Studio which comes with all 3 IDEs (C++, C# and VB). Each Studio version beyond that comes with more IDE stuff to make your life easier.

If you were thinking of buying the Standard edition I'd think twice. There's a nice free IDE you can download for .NET called SharpDevelop. Also, in some books they are offering 60 day trial DVDs of Professional that you can register for a measly $15 (Yes, that means you can get Professional for $15 + price of the book whic his usually $75). Some of them however don't allow you to register, you have to check the back of the CD cover and read the fine print.

The Academic version you won't find any information on, however. Since I actually have it I can give you some insight on it. The Academic version is everything Professional is except it comes with an extra CD for student "tools". Personally I didn't install it so I have no idea what it includes, but I do remember it was nothing of real use. And as always, the Academic version is way cheaper then the real thing because it's "for educational use only". I think the Academic version runs at about $200 (my teacher gave me mine for free so I'm not positive on that), but it's still far more expensive then the practically free Professional versions you can get with some books.
 
Try to avoid the Standard editions at all costs, however if you simply can't afford the more expensive editions and still want to create Class Libraries (DLLs) and User Controls take a look in the Code Library. I posted a zip archive that overcomes that boundary.
 
Thanks.....the VB.Net academic version is CDN$95 here and the whole studio thing is $165 or so. It's a bit awkward trying to figure out the features because I'm going through an intermediary (a friend of mine who is a student).

So it appears that either way, VB.NET will be the professional version.....good enough then.
 
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