The purpose of this page is to provide information on getting and
downloading Integrated Developer Environments based around Visual
Basic.NET programming.
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SharpDevelop: Free VB.NET/C# IDE alternative to Microsofts Express Edition IDE’s.
This FREE, Open Source IDE has been around for awhile now and has come a LONG ways. It is still being updated and improved. It is called: #Develop (pronounced SharpDevelop). IT is a Free OpenSource based Integrated Developer Editor that is entirely written in C# and even the source code is available for download. The IDE supports programming in Visual Basic.NET And in C#. There are some Very nice and unique features implemented in this IDE and I suggest you go here and check them out. Below are some of the features they highlight…
Forms designer for C#, VB.NET and Boo
Code completion for C#, VB.NET and Boo (including Ctrl+Space support)
Integrated NUnit support plus code coverage (NCover)
Integrated debugger
Code Analysis with FxCop
Refactoring support
Multi-framework support (.NET 1.1 and 2.0, Mono, Compact Framework)
XML Editing (source and tree view) with XPath search
Parser-based code converter (C# to VB.NET / Boo and more)
Compile C#, VB.NET & Boo code in the IDE out-of-the-box
Code AutoInsert (Alt+Ins)
Xml documentation preview
Setup projects supported with Windows Installer XML (WiX)
Subversion integration
Open source, LGPL licensed
There is a Feature Tour you can take here if you want to see them all. They also have a page that compares Microsofts FREE Express Edition VB and C# IDE’s to the Sharp Develop IDE. Below is a small portion of the list…
You can check out the complete comparison at this link.
Anyways, just head on over to the main site page at this link to view all the available info or go to this link if you want to download.
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Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition
The so-called Express Edition IDEs from Microsoft began with Visual Studio 2005 and became VERY popular. Microsoft has updated the Express Edition to their latest 2008 versions of VS.NET.
One of the biggest negatives in my opinion is that the Express Editions do NOT support add-ins (Unless thats changed for the new version?). That is quite unfortunate. There are other limitations as well. I am hoping that Microsoft will do a promotion similar to the 2005 versions by giving away the Standard Edition of Visual Studio for those that checks out there resources and give feedback. Visual Studio 2005/2008 Standard edition DOES support Add-ins and x64 (64 Bit) development. I haven’t heard anything concrete on a promotion like that yet.
The download link below will also have C#, C++, Visual Web Developer, SQL Server, and C++ Express Editions you can download as well. They have a Web Install option or a Offline install option. The Web Install option will download a small download manager and will control the download and installation. Offline installation will allow you to download the complete file to your computers hard drive.
Below is a small excerp from Microsoft on the Expression Editions…
Simple…
Design Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications with built-in designer support
Create rich Windows applications
Integrate 2D and 3D graphics, integration of audio and video controls
Add cool effects
Create data-enabled applications with the lightweight SQL Server Compact Edition or powerful client/server applications with SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
Build applications using LINQ (Language
Integrated Query) which adds data querying capabilities for SQL Server,
XML, and objects to Visual Basic
Develop quickly with IntelliSense support for the latest Visual Basic enhancements
WebInstall – Download Overview Page
WebInstall – Direct Download
Offline Install Page - Download Entire ISO: Its worth noting that the offline install will be a ISO image that you burn to a DVD disk. Microsoft does have info on how to take care of that. It appears to contain ALL versions of Express and will not just let you pick the VB version? So keep that in mind.
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Visual Web Developer 2005 Express
Provides everything you need to begin building Web applications out of the box.
Create great looking and easy-to-use Web applications using an intuitive, WYSIWYG, drag-and-drop user interface designer.
Take advantage of more than 60 new reusable controls and hundreds of
reusable code snippets to reduce the time needed to create engaging,
interactive Web applications.
Use Master Pages to manage a consistent site layout in one place.
Let IntelliSense give you fast access to methods and libraries for use within your applications.
Common Tasks and Smart Tags place commonly accessed Web building functionality one click away.
Click here to check out the overview webpage.
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Visual Basic 5.0 CCE
This is actually a very old IDE that Microsoft had available as a Free download around the time VB 5.0 was being released. Its called the VB 5.0 Control Creation Edition. Unfortunately though, this IDE will ONLY create Custom Control based projects. But if your into Classic VB then this IDE could be very useful. Its actually pretty hard to find this download anymore. I haen’t seen it at Microsofts download site in a long time. Thankfully i’ve held onto it the past few years.
Click Here to Download
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Well, hopefully this page will be of some use. I will add/update whenever changes or updates related to Free IDEs take place. Anyways, Have Fun
————————————————————
SharpDevelop: Free VB.NET/C# IDE alternative to Microsofts Express Edition IDE’s.
This FREE, Open Source IDE has been around for awhile now and has come a LONG ways. It is still being updated and improved. It is called: #Develop (pronounced SharpDevelop). IT is a Free OpenSource based Integrated Developer Editor that is entirely written in C# and even the source code is available for download. The IDE supports programming in Visual Basic.NET And in C#. There are some Very nice and unique features implemented in this IDE and I suggest you go here and check them out. Below are some of the features they highlight…
There is a Feature Tour you can take here if you want to see them all. They also have a page that compares Microsofts FREE Express Edition VB and C# IDE’s to the Sharp Develop IDE. Below is a small portion of the list…
| Feature | SharpDevelop 2.1 | Visual Studio Express Editions |
|---|---|---|
| Code auto-completion | Yes | Yes |
| Code syntax highlighting | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Forms Designer | Yes | Yes |
| Web Forms Designer | No | Provided with Visual Web Developer |
| Code Coverage | Yes | No |
| Unit Testing | Yes | No |
| Languages Supported | C#, VB.NET, Boo | C#, C++, VB.NET, J# |
You can check out the complete comparison at this link.
Anyways, just head on over to the main site page at this link to view all the available info or go to this link if you want to download.
————————————————————
Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition
The so-called Express Edition IDEs from Microsoft began with Visual Studio 2005 and became VERY popular. Microsoft has updated the Express Edition to their latest 2008 versions of VS.NET.
One of the biggest negatives in my opinion is that the Express Editions do NOT support add-ins (Unless thats changed for the new version?). That is quite unfortunate. There are other limitations as well. I am hoping that Microsoft will do a promotion similar to the 2005 versions by giving away the Standard Edition of Visual Studio for those that checks out there resources and give feedback. Visual Studio 2005/2008 Standard edition DOES support Add-ins and x64 (64 Bit) development. I haven’t heard anything concrete on a promotion like that yet.
The download link below will also have C#, C++, Visual Web Developer, SQL Server, and C++ Express Editions you can download as well. They have a Web Install option or a Offline install option. The Web Install option will download a small download manager and will control the download and installation. Offline installation will allow you to download the complete file to your computers hard drive.
Below is a small excerp from Microsoft on the Expression Editions…
Simple…
WebInstall – Download Overview Page
WebInstall – Direct Download
Offline Install Page - Download Entire ISO: Its worth noting that the offline install will be a ISO image that you burn to a DVD disk. Microsoft does have info on how to take care of that. It appears to contain ALL versions of Express and will not just let you pick the VB version? So keep that in mind.
————————————————————
Visual Web Developer 2005 Express
Click here to check out the overview webpage.
————————————————————
Visual Basic 5.0 CCE
This is actually a very old IDE that Microsoft had available as a Free download around the time VB 5.0 was being released. Its called the VB 5.0 Control Creation Edition. Unfortunately though, this IDE will ONLY create Custom Control based projects. But if your into Classic VB then this IDE could be very useful. Its actually pretty hard to find this download anymore. I haen’t seen it at Microsofts download site in a long time. Thankfully i’ve held onto it the past few years.
Click Here to Download
————————————————————
Well, hopefully this page will be of some use. I will add/update whenever changes or updates related to Free IDEs take place. Anyways, Have Fun
