title: Learn VB.NET
author:  Chuck Easttom 
description: Chuck Easttom is a computer scientist and author of over 20 books. He is an inventor with 8 patented inventions. He travels the world teaching, speaking at conferences, and consulting.
zlib_text: About the Author 
   
     Chuck Easttom is a software developer and author.  You can get to his homepage at 
  www.chuckeasttom.com  He currently holds over 20 different computer industry 
  certifications and is continually working on more. He lives with his wife Misty, his son 
  AJ and their two cats Sagan and Monte. 
       In his spare time (when he is not working, researching, or reading a computer book) 
  Chuck likes to play chess, read voraciously and is a very bad golfer.  You can find him on 
  his home web site (that also has a pretty decent VB web site) at www.chuckeasttom.com 
   
  Here is a picture of the author at work at his computer (Well Sort of…) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1 
  
   
   
   
  Introduction 
   
       This book is meant for the beginner.  Its primary purpose is to get you up and writing 
  programs in the shortest possible time.  For that reason I take a very practical approach 
  (thus the title).  My goal is that you be able to function as a competent Visual Bas