Is visual studio worth it?

Schecters · 01-22-2008, 02:39 PM

I've decided to learn to program, and I'm thinking of starting out with c++. I don't really know what compiler I should use. I have a subscription to MSDN, and I can get Visual Studio .NET 2005 Professional for about $30. Is visual studio a good choice? I honestly don't know the pros and cons of compilers. I assume that visual studio will have a hefty overhead, seeing as it's a M$ product.

If it's not a good choice, got suggestions?

Thanks guys.

jaeusm · 01-23-2008, 06:23 AM

Quote:

I've decided to learn to program, and I'm thinking of starting out with c++.

You'd probably find it easier to start with C#, which is also supported by Visual Studio 2005. C# seems to be Microsoft's flagship language for application development on Windows.

Quote:

Is visual studio a good choice? I honestly don't know the pros and cons of compilers.

Visual Studio is an IDE (integrated development environment), not a compiler. However, it does ship with a compiler.

As a professional developer, Visual Studio is an excellent development environment. I have not found any other IDE that compares with it.

Quote:

I assume that visual studio will have a hefty overhead, seeing as it's a M$ product.

Being a Microsoft product has nothing to do with it. All IDEs have some overhead, but it's not slow. The tools that Microsoft develops for software developers (like Visual Studio) are among the best tools for any type of development. You should probably understand that Microsoft is like several small independent companies -- products developed by some teams are better than others.

Schecters · 01-23-2008, 10:10 AM

So do you think it would be worth it to get Visual studio to begin with? Or should I just get a standalone compiler?

jaeusm · 01-23-2008, 10:55 AM

Go with Visual Studio. Any decent books you read on C# will have at least some bit of information about using Visual Studio. I put a list of learning resources on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Learn-NET-and-...hor_title_full

Schecters · 01-23-2008, 11:37 AM

Thanks for the help!

Brinson · 01-23-2008, 08:39 PM

The Visual Studio Express 's used to be free...I'd check that first.

01-22-2008, 02:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
Schecters True Techie Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 245	Is visual studio worth it? I've decided to learn to program, and I'm thinking of starting out with c++. I don't really know what compiler I should use. I have a subscription to MSDN, and I can get Visual Studio .NET 2005 Professional for about $30. Is visual studio a good choice? I honestly don't know the pros and cons of compilers. I assume that visual studio will have a hefty overhead, seeing as it's a M$ product. If it's not a good choice, got suggestions? Thanks guys. __________________ DESKTOP \| XP AMD 4200+ \| 2gigs Corsair XMS 3200 \| EVGA nf41 sli \| EVGA & XFX 7800 GT's Tagan ITZ 700w \| Audigy 2 ZS \| 250 gig WD \| 80 gig WD LAPPY \| Vista Business x86 Dell Vostro 1500 \| 2 gigs dell junk\| 160 gig \| 8600M GT Last edited by Schecters; 01-22-2008 at 02:51 PM.

01-23-2008, 10:10 AM	#3 (permalink)
Schecters True Techie Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 245	Re: Is visual studio worth it? So do you think it would be worth it to get Visual studio to begin with? Or should I just get a standalone compiler? __________________ DESKTOP \| XP AMD 4200+ \| 2gigs Corsair XMS 3200 \| EVGA nf41 sli \| EVGA & XFX 7800 GT's Tagan ITZ 700w \| Audigy 2 ZS \| 250 gig WD \| 80 gig WD LAPPY \| Vista Business x86 Dell Vostro 1500 \| 2 gigs dell junk\| 160 gig \| 8600M GT

01-23-2008, 10:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
jaeusm Software Developer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 477	Re: Is visual studio worth it? Go with Visual Studio. Any decent books you read on C# will have at least some bit of information about using Visual Studio. I put a list of learning resources on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Learn-NET-and-...hor_title_full

01-23-2008, 11:37 AM	#5 (permalink)
Schecters True Techie Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 245	Re: Is visual studio worth it? Thanks for the help! __________________ DESKTOP \| XP AMD 4200+ \| 2gigs Corsair XMS 3200 \| EVGA nf41 sli \| EVGA & XFX 7800 GT's Tagan ITZ 700w \| Audigy 2 ZS \| 250 gig WD \| 80 gig WD LAPPY \| Vista Business x86 Dell Vostro 1500 \| 2 gigs dell junk\| 160 gig \| 8600M GT

01-23-2008, 08:39 PM	#6 (permalink)
Brinson Ultra Techie Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 991	Re: Is visual studio worth it? The Visual Studio Express 's used to be free...I'd check that first. __________________ Brinson's Ubuntu Hardy Heron PC Ultra Microfly Case 350w Antec Basiq Intel Core 2 Duo e6750 ECS G31T-M 2x1gb OCZ Gold 800mhz DDR2 160gb Hard Drive DVD Burner

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