Are you already a .NET developer? Would like to be one? Why not try out the latest from Microsoft; after all, it's FREE.
At TechEd Europe keynote the new Express products were officially announced that are available for download right now:
Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition
Visual C# 2005 Express Edition
Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition
Visual J# 2005 Express Edition
Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition
SQL Server 2005 Express Edition – Note, SQL Express is included as an optional component in the installers of the other Express products.
Takes 15-20 minutes to download (the install is only 54MB vs. the normal 3GB VS install). It’s a great way to get your hands on some bits and start coding some .NET apps in no time. After installation, I bet you'd be surprised how much you can accomplish in 15-30 minutes.