In VB.NET and the .NET Platform (BETA 2), Andrew Troelsen shows readers how to use VB.NET for developing virtually every possible kind of .NET application. From Windows-based to Web-based applications, it's all here. There are detailed discussions of every aspect of .NET development and useful examples with no toy code. Relentlessly practical and complete, VB.NET and the .NET Platform starts with a brief overview of the VB.NET language and then quickly moves to key technical and architectural issues for .NET developers. Not only is there extensive coverage of the .NET framework, but Troelsen also shows readers about such necessary but subtle areas as the proper use of threads. Readers will also learn how to use VB.NET for GUI applications with a complete discussion of Windows Forms and GDI+. There are equally useful discussions of how to use VB.NET and .NET Framework for Web development, Web Services, and data access using ADO.NET. Written in the same five-star style as his previous book, this is the comprehensive book on VB.NET and .NET Framework that developers have been waiting for!

Andrew Troelsen is a partner, trainer, and consultant at Intertech Inc., and is a leading authority on both .NET and COM. His book Pro C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 Platform won the prestigious 2003 Referenceware Excellence Award and is in its third edition. Also of note are his earlier five-star treatment of traditional COM in the bestselling Developer's Workshop to COM and ATL mirrored in his book, COM and .NET Interoperability, and his top-notch investigation of VB .NET in Visual Basic .NET and the .NET Platform: An Advanced Guide. Troelsen has a degree in mathematical linguistics and South Asian studies from the University of Minnesota, and is a frequent speaker at numerous .NET-related conferences. He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Amanda, and spends his free time investigating .NET and waiting for the Wild to win the Stanley Cup. You can check out his blog at AndrewTroelsen.blogspot.com.