Editorial Review
Visual Basic has gained popularity over time because of its ease of use and easy acquisition. It's a hearty language, and allows for both stand-alone Windows programs and Web applications. With this in mind, Microsoft has met the needs of many seeking entrance into the wonder that is VB: Visual Basic 6.0, Learning Edition. Melding a standard version of Visual Basic 6.0 with a multimedia lab/tutorial polishes this product and makes VB even more attainable to those without a degree in computer science.
The learning portion of this package was written and designed by Michael Halvorson, an eight-year technical editor at Microsoft Press. Also included in the package is a 218-page reference manual that contains excerpts from three beginning-to-intermediate level books also written by Halvorson: Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Step by Step: Learn by Doing, Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Programmer's Guide: Comprehensive Product Guide, and Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Developer's Workshop: Learn by Example.
Getting into the tutorial includes a five-minute video presentation about the tutorial itself. And, for those who may experience hearing difficulties, or those who wish to study Visual Basic while the kids are asleep, closed captioning is available for all of the narrated demonstrations. The narration, both in audio and printed form, is lively and witty, and unexpectedly allows the creator's zest for the topic to come through.
Just like in high school, each lesson is structured in a comfortable format: lecture and demonstrations, followed by a set of labs and a quiz. By no means must you start at the very beginning. Scanning some of the quizzes and activities may help you place yourself at the right spot on the learning curve--may that be introducing yourself to basic programming concepts or sharpening your existing knowledge by addressing ActiveX controls or how to use Automation technology.
The tutorial and lab direction components of your learning are entirely separate from the actual Visual Basic programming environment. This means that rather than learning programming in a controlled setting, you'll be up to your elbows in the real thing. This facet of the package allows for side-by-side work--as you take your cues from the lab's directions (and yes, they often follow the empirical format), you'll then forge your own programming path in creating your own application, often from scratch. Beginners start out with the creation of an on-demand time display; more advanced users will create database front-ends and learn to manipulate the contained data.
The package is truly a complete first step in a foray into Visual Basic. Aside from the tutoring component, you will also be able to install the Microsoft Developer's Network Library. Once you're familiar enough with Visual Basic, you can stretch your learning with this documentation and programming information. The library contains over a gigabyte of information--code samples, how-tos, and general reference--that you can also access directly from the disc, rather than tying up hard drive space. --Emilie Dirks
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Customer Reviews
I'm confused! 
2001-06-25
Having read all 15 reviews currently posted here, my understanding is that any of the books mentioned in them requires the installation of the software itself before you can even start working with those books.
So whether the tutorial in this product is sufficient to teach the VB fundamentals or not, the product is still needed as the software environment you have to install before delving into any tutorial, whether that tutorial comes with or without a CD. Am I right or does Windows already have the VB software hidden where I can't find it?!!!!
Would someone, please, advise! I need to buy something soon. Thanks.
There is a better, cheaper product available 
2001-06-19
For [$] you can get the book "Learn to Program with Visual Basic 6" by John Smiley. It is for beginners, comes with a CD, and is very easy to understand.
Visual Basic 6.0 LE Differences Between the Editions 
2001-05-10
Microsoft provides the Learning Edition in my opinion as a starting point for programmers in Visual Basic (VB) and the other languages they sell IDE enviroments for, as I do not know of any other learning edition products by them.
The product comes boxed up for $... as of now, and this is a very good price for an integrated devleopment enviroment (IDE), especially by them - the professional edition costs several hundred dollars more, and the enterprise edition - a thousand or so more.
The learning edition comes with several tutorials, but those aren't mine to speak of because I skipped them 9 I bought Visual Basic Step by Step by Micheal Halvorson, Microsoft Press instead).
Moving along, the learning edition does not have several things that the professional edition offers, just as the enterprise edition has several things the professional edition doesn't have available.
The learnign edition is meant for beginners who don't plan to do any higher scale programming - it doesn't come with the MAPI email control nor the Internet transfer control, so internet programming with Microsoft controls is not an option - Also not available are "User Controls" these are a special type of Visual Basic project that are similiar to regular ActiveX controls. These things allow reusable graphical interfaces which are pre programmed to be inserted into the program. Also not available are property pages - something used when creating a compiled ActiveX control. And finally for soem odd reason User Documents aren't insertable - Not sure why though.
The Professional edition comes with extra controls such as the MCI audio and Internet/MAPI controls. These can be useful, and I use third party controls for doing these tasks as I do not need the extra features of the Professional Edition, which I will discuss briefly in a moment.
The learning edition is meant for beginners, hence the name 'learning' edition. As such it does not include any of the more advanced compiling options and project types. There are things such as what kind of CPU code should be outputted ot the binary, or what type of machine it shoudl be compield for (16 BIT or 32 BIT)...
As the editions move up in broadness and price, more project types become available. In the professional edition the option to make compiled ActiveX controls and Dynamic Link Libraries is available. Moving up to the biggest - the Enterprise Edition, things such as Management Console snapins can be written (a tool for managing large networks).
Overall, Microsoft's Visual Basic development enviroment is not the most powerful, and there is much better out there. The things possible in VB are canned routines - getting deeper into the Windows Application Programing Interface (API) requires declaring long winded blocks of code with HEX constants and other values to call them.
Note: The API is for performing functions directly related ot controllign the Windows enviroment (i.e. making a program window stay on top at all times)
I've tried to sum up the differences and the reasoning behind how Microsoft constructed their Visual Basic product line as best I could, and if I am incorrect, I apologize - and please let me know.
Exe files with Visual Basic Learning Edition 2001-05-01
Mr. Geoffery Brown is incorrect in his statement that the Learning Edition will not make an EXE file. I have been in contact with a Mr. "Lee Thornton" who assures me that it will in fact make an EXE file as well as build apps that will self-install (Setup). I found Mr. Browns review very confusing.
Very limited, ultimately 2001-03-31
I bought this book in hopes that I would be able to "pick up" VB since I had programmed for many years: COBOL, various assembly languages, etc. VB, of course, is a different kind of language -- more like an RPG than a COBOL because so much of VB consists of canned routines that you can either find in the interface or you cannot. A lot of using VB efficiently is a matter of being able to remember which pull-down menu has what you need on it, and what the options (properties, I think, is the right word) for each control are.
As far as leading you through that maze, the book is pretty good.
One huge limitation in the Learning Edition is that you can use it only for learning. In other words, you cannot make an executable file with it. I finally got frustrated and took a college course in VB. At the first lecture, the professor warned us against getting the Learning Edition -- because we would not be able to e-mail him the executable from the labs we would be doing for him. The Professional Edition lets you do this.
In other words, buying the Learning Edition is a little bit like buying a car without an engine. You can practice all you want with it, but you can't drive it anywhere.
Best advice is save your money and buy the real thing.
My honest desire to be an accounting system analyst. 2002-01-21
Choosing a software to use and start in programing should be easy and detailed to understand. Many of my friends adviced me to own a Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Learning Edition to support my limited knowledge in computer operations. I am a novis user, with VB 6.0 learning edition, positively it will be a great help to impart the " What to do & What to start in programing".May be my dream to be an accounting system analyst will start from here.
Visual Basic 6 Enterprise is the best!! 
2001-10-27
(...) I think Visual Basic is the best and easy development language you can get. I've got the enterprise edition and it really is packed with lots of fetures and stuff that will speed up code time. There's only one things that dissappoint me with Visual Basic, it is: Visual Basic does not have a truly advanced Internet programming like C++. I can't wait to upgrade to Visual Basic.Net because if VB6 is this good then how good can VB6.Net be(...)
Temptress 2001-10-17
I have been using VB since it came out right after VC. I have owned every upgrade and am a professional C++ programmer, and I love VB. It's like candy. It's so easy to use. Just a medium amount of programming experience can create wonderful programs. In the earlier additions there was some confusion about global variables, user written procedures and subroutines. They were in separate locations causing confusion, but everything is on one page now. You can see every bit of your code by scrolling up and down a single page.
Now for the down side, there is a lot left out of the learning edition. I can't really fault Microsoft. If they are going to have lesser and better versions then they have to leave something out of the lesser.
Finally and perhaps most important don't forget to use the wealth of help and information found on the online help section. Leave you Internet on and while in VB go up to help and select online help. There is an entire library at your disposal. Try a search, or read general information on a topic. Anything and everything you might want to know is there. Unfortunately in the learning addition most of the advanced functionality is left out. So this wonderful library just tempts you.
I'm impressed! 2001-09-26
Visual Basic make programming a snap! I'm building GUI's quickly and easily. Motif for C and Swing for Java can't compare in this regard. In fact, it's almost FUN.
Very limited control selection 
2001-07-16
I was flabbergasted to find out that the basic chart control does not ship with this edition. I need very simple graphs, and none of that functionality is available. no MSChart, or Microsoft graph in this version. Make sure you check the list of included controls... for the your needs before you buy this.
