Book excerpt: Whether you want to develop applications for Windows or for the World Wide Web, Visual Basic .NET is an excellent tool for producing reliable, professional applications. Essential VB. NET fast covers the development environment, the key controls and the VB programming language including the new additions that allow serious object-oriented programming. Using plenty of examples, John Cowell shows; how to develop both Windows and ASP.NET applications in a Windows XP environment; how to develop Windows database applications; how to use the essential Windows and Web controls; and how to create object-oriented applications to get you up and running fast.