That's a big help Rick, Thanks. I'll probably download 2008 and VB, going by your analysis. Very useful. Thank you. Geoff Email: gc.smith@xxxxxxxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: RicksPlace To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 11:45 AM Subject: Re: VS 2005, or 2008 Indeed. Later versions of Visual Studio, 2005 and 2008, are much, much more accessible. It still requires some getting use to when navigating the IDE and working in the Editors but after you learn the ropes it becomes second nature and quite accessible. As for which language it depends on a couple of things. CSharp is a popular language with the sighted crowd. It uses allot of braces for any code blocks you write. It forces you to define the DataType for every variable you define and to convert variale types manually if you try and use them to assign to other variables of a diferent or unknown data type. It does not have some of the built-in features of Visual Basic like the use of indexed Properties and other things I have found usefull. I code in VB for these reasons. The generated code from both CSharp and VB is almost identical and the execute just as fast as each other. CSharp is in demand a little more than Visual Basic in the Workplace from what I understand but I found it not as clear to use when learning to program in Visual Studio. If you have allot of Programming experience in OOP and already know how to program in a C related language like JavaScript or JAVA you might be more comfortable with CSharp. If you are not strong in that language format and syntax you might consider starting out with Vb.net since it is more English Like and has beginning and Ending Block indicators instead of just using braces for that purpose. I would recommend Visual Basic for a starter since it will be pretty easy to convert to CSharp after you learn the IDE, the Editors and all the Dialogs and Wizards, over 1,000 from what I understand, in the Visual Studio IDE. It is up to you and your past experience. CSharp is much more strict of an OOP language but you can use all of the OOP design functions in Vb.net as you learn them as well. So, that is the only thing I can think of to say about which language to use to start with. If you are an old OOP Programmer you can go either way. If you are not good with OOP Languages I would stick with Vb.net until you get a really solid grip on using the Visual Studio IDE and on OOP concepts which you will pick up on while working in Vb.net. Rick USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.95/2368 - Release Date: 09/13/09 17:50:00