Visual basics software is programming software created by Microsoft to aid in the development of programs and applications. The .NET framework is also a Microsoft windows creation designed specifically for use in applications developed on a windows platform. It is basically a large base class library that makes it possible for language interoperability to take place (i.e.: it allows each programming language, in its framework to use codes written in other programming languages). The VB to .NET integration promises to revolutionize program and application development by optimizing the individual functions of visual basics and .NET framework software.

VB to .NET is basically an introduction of various syntactical changes and migration to the visual basics programming software. In fact, these VB to .NET features may make it a bit harder to acclimatize, for programmers who started of using Quick basic and GW basic. Though it was easier to upgrade from these program builders to MS visual basic while building up on basic programming knowledge, an upgrade from VB to .NET will not be so simple. This new program has optimized programming by altering coding rules; increasing the number of low-level constructs that are exposed and enforcing a number of programming practices.

The major change visible in the VB to .NET program is the IDE. The Integrated Development Environment in this upgraded version presents differences in interfaces. The property page design for the Active X design for instance has been replaced by a property grid display. That said though, VB to .NET still retains the options available in the visual basics software; just displayed in an easier and more flexible manner. Another major change is in the code development stage. The VB to .NET integration does not accept the variant date input styles of the VB software. In order to declare variables in this platform, they have to be strong-typed. Error handling has also changed in their upgrade. A good deal of time was spent changing the error handling go to statements into VB to .NET’s structured exception handling function. This new technique makes it easier to design and maintain programs without worrying about performance or debugging issues. The last change is in the integration of the .NET framework designers. This was also present in previous UB versions but, existed as a stand alone application. This is simply an object that takes care of the design, appearance, behaviour and time of the functions on the design.

In spite of this though, VB to .NET presents a number of benefits to the user. Some of the new features this upgrade offers are robust debugging tools, seamless deployment, monitoring for memory leaks, and integrated tools for VB to .NET code generation and easy ways to reuse codes. Most of these added benefits are as a result of the integrated .NET framework. This means that these features can also be accessed from open environments outside of the VB to .NET integration.