Whether you're a total novice or a programmer shifting to C#, the newest version of this programming language is full of cool features you'll want to use. With its Visual Studio compatibility, C# is the perfect language for building Windows Vista applications. And the 2008 version works with LINQ, a query language with syntax similar to SQL but which simplifies database code and can also write queries on XML files.

For the best basic C# how-to, it's hard to beat C# 2008 For Dummies. This plain-English guide to programming with C# can have you creating your first console application...