Visual Basic is the most productive tool for creating fast business solutions for Windows and the Web. A comprehensive, rapid application development environment, Visual Basic helps developers quickly create and deploy client/server applications, and program easily for the Internet using familiar Visual Basic programming tools and techniques.
Get ready for Windows 2000
Get a head start with the Windows® 2000 Readiness Kit, including essential developer resources and training.
Simplify programming with COM+, and build distributed applications with built-in load balancing, transaction support, message queuing, object pooling, security, and integrated component management services.
Build highly reliable, self-repairing applications using the new Visual Studio Installer.
- Develop a breadth of solutions, from full data warehouses using Microsoft SQL Server™ 7.0 to freely redistributable mobile database applications using the new SQL Server–compatible Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE).
- Take advantage of the new Windows 2000 Web Services, Active Directory® Service, Core Services, Microsoft Management Console, and more.
Tap into productivity and performance
Program with the world’s most popular programming language to quickly create high-performance applications and components in a RAD environment.
- Build fast, native-code applications and components that use the same world-class compiler technology as in the Visual C++® development system. - Applications can be optimized for speed and size and in many other ways to improve performance even more.
- Make your applications and components thread-safe without the rigors of manual thread management.
- Increase development speed and productivity with IntelliSense® technology. On-the-fly syntax and statement completion using features such as Complete Word, Quick Info, and DataTips®.
- Easily create a broad range of reusable COM-based components, including ActiveX® Controls as well as middle-tier and server-side components.
- Use your Visual Basic skills in the Microsoft Office suite and in third-party applications that license Visual Basic Applications Edition.
Easily create data-centric applications
- Deploy the freely redistributable Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) as part of your application and get full compatibility with larger SQL Server databases.
- Quickly develop rich data forms, or use the new integrated Report Writer to develop sophisticated, hierarchical reports, all with drag-and-drop ease.
- Create reusable data access components using the new Data Environment for use across multiple projects, in other development tools, or on the Web that automatically take advantage of data binding.
- Build a wide variety of applications for the mobile user. Write client/server applications that work with databases whether or not they are connected to a LAN or to the Web. Visual Basic 6.0 now supports the Microsoft universal data access architecture with ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) version 2.0.
- Achieve a new level of productivity when working with hierarchical data with the enhanced FlexGrid control. Easily display master-detail data in a way that allows you to expand, collapse, hide, or show information.
Increase efficiency with integrated Visual Database Tools
- Use the comprehensive, newly integrated Visual Database Tools to perform your most common database activities without leaving Visual Basic.
- View tables, modify data, and create SQL queries within the development environment for any ODBC- or OLE DB-compliant database.
- Use the fully integrated database designer to visually design and modify live database schemas and other objects for Microsoft SQL Server 6.5+ and Oracle 7.3.3+ databases.
Start building Internet applications today
- Use the experience you've gained programming Windows-based applications in a RAD environment to move your code and applications to the Web.
- Build Web applications and components running on Microsoft Internet Information Server that are accessible from any browser on any platform.
- Deploy Internet applications and components quickly and easily using the Package and Deployment wizard.
- Build better solutions using the Windows NT® Option Pack. Microsoft Transaction Server 2.0, Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0, and Microsoft - - Message Queue Server let you build sophisticated, multiuser business applications for the Web, a LAN, or both.
- Use Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Developer Edition, a scalable, high-performance database management system for Windows NT-based systems, to prototype and test enterprise applications.
- Secure your source code using Microsoft Visual SourceSafe®. Visual SourceSafe provides an easy-to-use, secure, project-oriented version control. Now any size team can increase productivity and easily protect documents, source code, and content for the Web or PC.