Chapter II.3. Making Connections with Visual Studio
In This Chapter
When you use Visual Studio, you're not just using a development tool — you're joining a community. This statement is true, no matter what development tool you use. The technologies people use often cluster them into communities, such as
Java
Linux and open source software
Mac
.NET
That's not to say that people don't cross over — because they do. Many .NET developers are also closet Linux folks. Nevertheless, as a .NET developer, you're likely to run in the same circles as other .NET developers. This chapter shows you some of the ways you can use Visual Studio to keep in touch.
Getting Help
When you install Visual Studio, help files are installed on your hard drive. The help documentation is a combination of local offline and online resources, including
Online and offline Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) documentation for Visual Studio and .NET
Online content, such as community forums, from the Microsoft Web site
Online content from third parties approved by Microsoft to provide content
MSDN includes a library full of documentation, as well as a Knowledge Base. A paid subscription to MSDN allows you to download software for development purposes. For more information about MSDN subscriptions, see Book I, Chapter 5.
Setting help viewing options
You can view help content within Visual Studio or as a separate window. To set your options, follow these steps:
Choose Tools→Options in Visual Studio 2008.
The Options dialog box is displayed. ...
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