I am getting the new visual studio for my birthday and I need some help.

[Botsareus]

1.) Where can I get visual studio 2008: Best buy? Radio Shack?  Internet?

2.) Will it include vb.net and C#?

3.) Will it be compatible with my windows XP if I have .net frame work installed?

4.) As far as I understand the new DB is written in C#?

[ikke]

I don't know your age and access possibilities but a decade ago, when I was a student, students paid only 5-10% of the fee. It may be worth the effort to see if this still exists and applies to you.

[Shasta]

I don't know your age and access possibilities but a decade ago, when I was a student, students paid only 5-10% of the fee. It may be worth the effort to see if this still exists and applies to you.

Better than this, students can get Visual Studio Pro 2005/8 entirely for free. Dreamspark would be the site to check out.

To answer the other questions: 2) Yes. 3) Yes. 4) Yes.

[Ta-183]

Visual studio? I didn't like it. I stuck with DevC++. Then again, it was just C++....

[Numsgil]

Even if you're not a student you can get the express edition of Visual Studio for free.  See clicky.  I have it installed on my laptop instead of the professional edition, so I know for a fact that DB3 will work just fine with express.

[Botsareus]

I went to the following two websites:

http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/Default.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/Default.aspx

Questions:

1.) Is the vb site Visual Basic .net ? (The one I can translate directly to c# and wise versa)

2.) Is this stuff completely free, or is it a trial offer?

3.) Will it include MSDN? If not, where can I get it? ( I really don't want to turn on the internet every time I have to look a command up)

P. S.

Thank you everyone for your help...

[Numsgil]

1.  Yes, it's VB.net.  They've just about disowned VB6 anymore.

2.  Yes, completely free.  Visual Studio is just about lingua franca for professional programmers, but the open source compilers are beginning to make a dent in their user base, so they're trying to encourage adoption of their technology.  Likewise with C#.  It's a proprietary language basically, so the only way they can make sure it gets wide adoption is to offer a free version and then hook professionals in with an expanded version with more tools and options.  But don't worry about that right now, you won't miss any of the tools

3.  Probably not "out of the box", but you can get a download for it if not.  Likewise free.