Best Yet
I have been using Visual Studio for a long time (VB for 10 years, VC++ for 5 years). This is the best yet. Sure, the .NET platform is slow in taking off, but it is a MAJOR improvement and will take a while. The new IDE is used by ALL the languages and is fantastic. The debugging tools are an order of magnitude better. The online documentation is essential (make sure you load the whole thing, you will usually need it). Even the IntelliSense is improved. For VB long-timers, this version is probably a bigger improvement than any others, including the transitions of 16-to-32-bit and from interpreted to compiled. Software productivity is almost certain to explored -- once it catches on. The hype is real, but it will take time. This is what it was like before the Web took off -- the people in the know just "knew" it would happen, it is just a matter of time. Be on the front of the wave.