VShost.exe in .NET:

If you are developing with Visual Studio 2005 you probably have seen the *.vshost.exe files inside of your bin folder or you saw the process running while debugging. The vshost.exe file is coming from Visual Studio and serves a very good purpose. The vshost.exe is a new Visual Studio 2005 feature and is actually a hosting process

Actually when you open the project in vs. express it copies this file vshost.exe from Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE and renames it to yourassemblyhost.vshost.exe
The hosting process is a feature in Visual Studio 2005 that improves debugging performance, enables partial trust debugging, and enables design time expression evaluation. The hosting process files contain vshost in the file name and are placed in the output folder of your project. For more information, see Debugging and the Hosting Process.

Improved Debugging Performance
The hosting process creates an application domain and associates the debugger with the application. Performing these tasks can introduce a noticeable delay between the time debugging is started and the time the application begins running. The hosting process helps increase performance by creating the application domain and associating the debugger in the background, and saving the application domain and debugger state between runs of the application. For more information on application domains, see Application Domains.

Partial Trust Debugging
An application can be specified as a partial trust application in the Security page of the Project Designer. Debugging a partial trust application requires special initialization of the application domain. This initialization is handled by the hosting process.

Design-Time Expression Evaluation
Design-time expression evaluation enables you to test code from the Immediate window without having to run the application. The hosting process executes this code during design time expression evaluation. For more information, see Immediate Window.
NOTE: Hosting process files (.vshost.exe) are for use by Visual Studio 2005 and should not be run directly or deployed with your application.

The *.vshost.exe files are exclusively used by the VS 2005 IDE, they serve no other purpose.
If you want to disable the generation of the vshost files you can do so under your projects settings.

In general, when the hosting process is disabled the time needed to begin debugging increases.

Note:Hosting process files (.vshost.exe) are for use by Visual Studio 2005 and should not be run directly or deployed with your application..

Window Based Application Creation

If you create a sample application in windows (E.g.: Practice) it will create following default files:
{} – Type
() – My Project Name as Practice
1) Project Name folder (Practice)
a) Bin folder
i) Debug Folder
(1) Project Name (Practice).vshost.exe

Hosting Process (vshost.exe)
The hosting process is a feature in Visual Studio 2005 that improves debugging performance, enables partial trust debugging, and enables design time expression evaluation. The hosting process files contain vshost in the file name and are placed in the output folder of your project. For more information, see Debugging and the Hosting Process.

b) My Project folder
i) Application.Designer.vb {VB Source File} – it will contain some code about application .This code was generated by a tool.
i i) Application.myapp{MYAPP File}
iii) AssemblyInfo.vb{VB Source File} –Assembly attributes Information
iv) Resources.Designer.vb - resource code generated by tool
v) Resources.resx{.NET Managed Source File}
vi) Settings.Designer.vb{VB Source File}
vii) Settings.settings{Visual Studio settings-Designer File}
c) Obj folder
i) Debug folder
(1) TempPE folder
d) Form1.Designer.vb {VB Source File} – Design code (location, controls info….)
e) Form1.resx{.Net Managed Source File}
f ) Form1.vb{VB Source File}
g) Project Name (Practice).vbproj{VB Project File} – contains project files info
2) Project Name (Practice).sln {Microsoft Visual Studio Solution}
3) Project Name (Practice).suo{Visual Studio Solution User Options}

After Build your Applcation it will create following new files:
Bin folder: Project Name(Practise)[.exe,.pdb,.xml
A program database (PDB) file holds debugging and project state information that allows incremental linking of a Debug configuration of your program. A PDB file is created when Visual Basic/C#/JScript .NET program with /debug mode.
Debugfolder:Practise.exe,Practise.pdb,Practise.xml,ResolveAssemblyReference.cache,Practise.Account.resources,Practise.Resources.resources,Practise.vbproj.GenerateResource.Cache,Practise.exe,Practise.xml,Practise.pdb
Default Added References:
1) System
2) System. Data
3) System. Deployment
4) System. Drawing
5) System. Windows. Forms
6) System. XML

.NET Compliant Languages

One of the imperative features of the .NET is the facility to program in multiple languages, which allows programmers to use their favorite languages. Right now, the Microsoft programming languages including Visual Basic .NET, Visual C#, Visual J# and Visual C++ with managed extensions are part of Visual Studio .NET 2003 and developers can make use of these languages for developing different applications.

The other few .NET compliant languages from other vendors are:

ASML for .NET [AsmL: Abstract State Machine Language]: AsmL is an executable specification language based on the theory of Abstract State Machines. The current version, AsmL 2 (AsmL for Microsoft .NET), is embedded into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Visual Studio.NET. It uses XML and Word for literate specifications. It is fully interoperable with other .NET languages. AsmL generates .NET assemblies which can either be executed from the command line, linked with other .NET assemblies, or packaged as COM components.

Mercury on .NET: The current release of the Mercury compiler includes preliminary support for generating code for .NET. It also includes a partial port of the Mercury library and runtime to .NET. This is still work in progress.

SmallScript and Smalltalk for .NET: The S# language implementation (pronounced s-sharp) is a complete modular redesign of the Smalltalk language, offering transparent cross-language integration and component based deployment.

Perl for .NET: Download a trial version of NetCOBOL for .NET V1.1 Now

Eiffel ENViSioN! 1.2 offers users an enhanced experience within VS .NET. It now supports both Visual Studio.NET 2002 & 2003, so developers can choose the version of Visual Studio most suited for their needs.

Fortran for .NET, download our Technology Preview. Lahey Computer Systems and Fujitsu are currently developing a new product called Fortran for .NET with a compiler that generates MSIL and has new language extensions for object-oriented features and interoperability with other .NET languages.

AVR for .NET: AVR for .NET is ASNA’s next-generation of Visual RPG. AVR for .NET “snaps” into Microsoft’s Visual Studio.NET 2003 and provides an RPG compiler that works with Visual Studio’s built-in debugger. AVR for .NET’s RPG compiles to native, managed code, Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) assemblies.

ActiveState PerlASPX enables professional Perl programmers to use Perl for dynamic content generation on ASP.NET Web servers. For more information or to download PerlASPX, click here. Perl for .NET Research is the result of a research project, creating a native code compiler for Perl to the Microsoft .NET Framework. The status of this compiler is experimental; it also supports just a subset of the language. The latest version of Perl for .NET Research is PerlForDotNet-5.6.0.613.msi.

Python: Perl for .Net and Python for .Net will provide programmers with easy interoperability between languages, cross-language inheritance and they will enable programmers to simply create, extend and consume .NET components.

Oberon for .net: Oberon is a member of the Pascal language family. From its ancestors Pascal and Modula-2 it inherits a compact, highly expressive and self-explanatory syntax, strictly enforced data types, and a concept of module in combination with public view.

NetCOBOL for .NET: Fujitsu NetCOBOL for .NET smoothly integrates with other languages such as Visual Basic, C#, and Eiffel. Fujitsu Software is the only COBOL vendor to announce support for Microsoft .NET and ASP.NET, including Web Services.

Delphi: Vendor: Borland

Mondrian for .NET: Mondrian is a functional language specifically designed for interoperating in OO environments.

F# is an implementation of the core of the Caml programming language for the .NET Framework, along with cross-language extensions. The aim is to have it work together seamlessly with C#, Visual Basic, SML.NET and other .NET programming languages.

Dyalog APL for .NET

Check the following links for more detials:
Visual Basic, C# , JScript , C++ , J# , APL , Cobol , Component Pascal , Delta Forth .NET compiler, Eiffel , Fortran , Haskell , Mercury , Oberon , PERL , Python , Salford FTN95 , Scheme SmallScript , Standard ML , TMT Pascal & F#

VB.NET and C# Comparison

Nice link to know differences between VB.NET and C#:
http://www.harding.edu/fmccown/vbnet_csharp_comparison.html

Differences Between Visual Basic .NET and Visual C# .NET" white paper is available:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308470

Goals of Visual Studio 2005

Welcome to the Visual Studio 2005 Guided Tour:

Visual Studio 2005 provides developers with enhanced functionality across a wide range of areas allowing developers to build richer, more powerful applications with decreased development time.
With a single fully integrated development environment for all types of development including Windows, Office, Web, and Mobile applications, Visual Studio 2005 provides a wealth of benefit to the developer.
Visual Studio 2005 provides individual developers and development organizations a number of new and improved features:
A comprehensive tools platform - Visual Studio 2005 offers productive developer tools for customers of all stripes, from the novice programmer to the experienced enterprise development team. With Visual Studio 2005, developers enjoy comprehensive tools that offer a development experience tailored for their unique needs.
Reduced development complexity - Visual Studio 2005 enables customers to more easily deliver a broad range of .NET Framework-based solutions, including Windows, Office, Web, and mobile applications.
Improved team communication - Visual Studio 2005 Team System offers productive and integrated lifecycle tools that increase communication and collaboration among participants in the IT lifecycle.
A vibrant third-party ecosystem - Take advantage of over 300 products from over 150 Visual Studio Industry Partners program participants and enjoy a comprehensive array of third-party solutions that augment Visual Studio 2005.

Design Goals for VS2005:

Visual Studio 2005 - A Comprehensive Tools Platform
Microsoft will ship four different "levels" of products in Visual Studio 2005:
The Express products. Lightweight, easy to use, easy to learn tools for hobbyists, enthusiasts, and students who want to learn how to program or evaluate the .NET Framework.
Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition. The entry-point developer tool for professionals looking for a streamlined development experience and the ability to create robust client/server applications using the .NET Framework.
Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition. The professional developer tool for individual programmers or those working in small teams who are building mission-critical, multi-tier smart client, Web, and mobile applications.
Visual Studio 2005 Team System. Productive, integrated lifecycle tools that help teams communicate and collaborate more effectively as they deliver modern, service-oriented solutions on the .NET Framework.

The Express products
Software development today is out of the reach of most beginning and hobbyist programmers. When they use most professional development tools, they often appear too complicated, too confusing, too disjointed, and with too many buttons, menu items, and choices to comprehend all at once. While every individual possesses the potential to master these tools, the tool's complexity is often a barrier to both understanding and enjoying programming.
The new Express products expand significantly on Microsoft's demonstrated successes in delivering highly productive tools, by offering hobbyists, enthusiasts, and students the lightweight, easy to use, easy to learn tools to build dynamic Windows applications and Web sites. With the Express products, users can:
Learn how to program using a streamlined, lightweight development environment with built in tutorial content
Evaluate the .NET Framework for Windows and Web development
Create fun and interesting applications for their personal enjoyment or to share with their friends

The Express products consist of:
Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition, a lightweight tool for building dynamic Web sites and Web services
Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition, a streamlined programming tool for beginning programmers to learn how to build exciting Windows applications
Visual C# 2005 Express Edition, Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition, and Visual J# 2005 Express Edition, targeted programming tools for students and enthusiasts who wish to learn the fundamentals of Computer Science
Microsoft also ships SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, an entry-level database for hobbyists, enthusiasts, and student developers

These products are only the beginning. Microsoft has also worked with a number of content providers and community groups to build out a healthy ecosystem of content, forums, and resources to enable users to be more successful, including:

Content providers, delivering plug-ins and Starter Kits to the Express products
Community resources, offering users, newsgroups and forums a place where they can congregate, exchange ideas and get assistance from fellow users
Training and learning partnerships with book publishers, training vendors, and more to assist users in taking the subsequent steps beyond being a tinkerer to becoming an IT professional

Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition:
Visual Studio Standard Edition is an entrypoint professional development tool that maintains the simplicity of the Express line but delivers access to the powerful development tools necessary to construct data-focused client applications, n-tier applications (Connected Systems) using Web services, and rich Web applications. Visual Basic 6.0 developers moving to the .NET Framework will find that Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition combines the productivity enhancements coming to Visual Basic 2005 such as My, IntelliSense, Code Snippets, and Edit and Continue with the power that they require for constructing line of business applications and migrating to a modern development environment.
Visual Studio Standard Edition also provides Web developers who are building line of business applications with a full-featured development environment for constructing advanced data-driven, dynamic applications, while still keeping a slimmed-down, Web focused IDE. Visual Studio Standard Edition includes advanced Web development features, such as pre-compilation of Web sites, full debugging tools, richer data-access, Section 507 and WCAG accessibility checking, and simplified support for site localization.
Visual Studio Standard Edition also includes support for extending the development environment with over 300 tools from over 175 Visual Studio Integration Partners (VSIP) program participants.

Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition:
Microsoft offers Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition for professional developers working alone or in small teams who build mission-critical, multi-tier applications. The Professional Edition expands on the Standard Edition feature set to include tools for remote server development and debugging, SQL Server 2005 development, and a full, unconstrained development environment.
Professional developers will enjoy unfettered access to the .NET Framework 2.0, a robust, fully functional development environment, that provides support for creating tools that extend the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment, and tools for creating multi-tier Windows and Web applications.

Visual Studio 2005 Team System:
Today's software systems are comprised of numerous distributed services, spanning platforms, protocols, and programming languages, all with significant impact on the operations environment. Moreover, teams have become increasingly specialized and geographically distributed. Successful deployment of modern solutions depends on bridging the communication gap between development and operations so that the entire IT department is represented early and often throughout the software lifecycle.

The new Visual Studio Team System expands significantly on Microsoft's demonstrated successes in delivering highly productive tools, by offering businesses tightly integrated and extensible lifecycle tools to increase the predictability of their software development process. With Visual Studio Team System, organizations can:
Reduce the complexity of delivering modern service-oriented solutions that are designed for operations
Facilitate collaboration among all members of a software team, speeding development time and ensuring the predictability and reliability of the development process
Customize and extend the Team System with their own internal tools and process frameworks, or choose from over 450 supplemental products from over 190 partners

Visual Studio Team System consists of:
Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, an extensible team collaboration server that enables all members of the extended IT team to effortlessly manage and track the progress and health of projects
Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Architects, visual designers that enable architects, operations managers, and developers to design service-oriented solutions that can be validated against their operational environments
Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Developers, advanced development tools that enable teams to build reliable, mission-critical services and applications
Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Testers, advanced load testing tools that enable teams to verify the performance of applications prior to deployment
Visual Studio Team Suite, a bundle of Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Architects, Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Developers, and Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Testers
Proven process guidance, prescriptive architectural guidance, and solution accelerators that assist organizations in improving the predictability and reliability of delivering mission-critical solutions

Visual Studio 2005 Guided Tour

Visual Studio 2005 Guided Tour link:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/tour/vs2005_guided_tour/default.htm#

Good one