Peter, from a very novice point of view...... I wanted to develop desktop apps. My goal is to build on the comms layers which is something I'm quite okay with. The M$ IDE is good and time saving. I cannot imagine how others write on text files its like using a pipe wrench, chisel and hammer to open a bolt. I also find web programming a limitation to ones abilities because it revolves around a form, table and a database. Maybe after my 3 year self study plan and hopefully mastering it I may branch out to other languages if time allows, this alone is quite a struggle.  :-)