Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The Great Leap Forward
My apologies to Chairman Mao, but I've been using the beta version of VS.Net for several weeks now, and its advances are impressive. For VB programmers, there is a new, fully object-oriented version of the language that stands on an equal footing with C. For C++ programmers, there is C#, which combines the power of C with the RAD features of VB. It really is possible to knock out a Windows application in a morning! Finally, for Java programmers who are a bit frustrated with the quirks of that language, C# is a Java clone that is easy to learn, that has most of the power that Java left out, and that has a really spectacular IDE. I haven't raved about anything since VB3, but I'm raving about this.
Rating: - Finally... a real IDE for Web developers!
Been using VS.NET since beta 2, and the final version is everything I've ever wanted. I was a former ASP script kiddie, but because of the outstanding object-oriented VB.NET, and even better C#, I can now code Web apps like a "real" developer. I can see Windows programmers asking, "Wait, you mean it wasn't always done that way?"There are some minor annoyances, like the fact that VS.NET won't use Intellisense when you write code right on an ASP.NET page (come on MS, a code-behind file isn't necessary for three lines of code). It's also not terribly idiot-proof setting up remote debugging. The greatest thing to me is that SQL Server's Enterprise manager is, in a matter of speaking, integrated into the environment, so you're not alt-tabing to see what the heck your DB looks like. If you hate the state of Web development, you need this.
Rating: - .NET - .GET
This studio is leagues beyond the last. Microsoft is easing the burden of developers by simplifying distributed application development using .NET. Sure, for instance, you can go in and manually write the low level COM interface connectors if you prefer to have the "stick shift" control and specific performance attributes etc., or you can rely on the built in functionality of .NET and speed the development process. It seems that with this platform there is a bit of a learning curve even for the most experienced developers because of the great differences. But the online help is dynamic and useful when you get stuck on something. Visual Basic is not Visual Basic now. They seemed to have completely renovated the way VB works. The Common language Runtime (CLR) makes it possible to create solutions by interweaving any of the languages included with the studio. I believe there is a way to import 3rd party or future MS designed languages as well. So if one language is better at a specific task, then you can switch to it. The integrated development environment (IDE) is meant to maximize developer productivity. In using it, I haven't experienced the contrary. I must mention that I do like the flexibility of working on web applications in .NET. You can use a grid layout like a form builder, or the flow layout like a web page editor. I noticed a couple of funny things so far, but not worth mentioning. It takes some getting used to, but this is certainly worth it.
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