Professional Visual Basic 2012 and .NET 4.5 Programming

Introduction

Welcome to the next era in .NET development. .NET has moved from a set of developer-focused tools and a runtime environment to the core of the latest Microsoft operating system. In 2002, Microsoft released .NET and introduced developers to a new paradigm for building applications. For Visual Basic it was not only a new environment, but really a new language.

Visual Basic .NET (as it was initially called) went beyond an overhaul. .NET changed core elements of the syntax affecting every aspect of development with Visual Basic. The entire runtime model shifted to a new common language runtime (CLR) environment and the language went from object-based to object-oriented. Although most people didn't recognize it, we were moving to a new language.

Now with the introduction of Windows RT, Microsoft has again shifted the paradigm. Not so much at the language level, but as it relates to how user interfaces are developed and work. The original runtime environment, although enhanced for .NET 4.5, risks being flagged as being on the path to that fatal “legacy” designator. Windows 8 introduces the concept of Windows Store applications, which are built on a version of the CLR that has different features, and that's important. Because while client applications may view the core CLR as legacy, server-based applications have probably never been in a position to leverage it more.

This book provides details about not only the latest version of Visual Basic and the new .NET Framework 4.5. ...