I downloaded Visual Studio Express Web without even knowing there were 2 other versions (windows desktop and windows). I checked on stackoverflow and saw that the "windows desktop" version was probably better for learning C#. But what about Visual Studio Express Web? Would that be an equally good IDE to learn C# on?
I am assuming that you want to create simple console and Windoze Desktop apps (not Modern UI apps). In that case, you want to use Visual Studio Express for Windows Desktop.
Here is a short explanation of what each edition is for:
Other Options
Microsoft also has a new version if VS called Visual Studio Community. VS Community is basically VS Professional, but free. According to the VS website, the acceptable usage for individual developers are as follows:
Q: Who can use Visual Studio Community?
A: Here’s how individual developers can use Visual Studio Community:
- Any individual developer can use Visual Studio Community to create their own free or paid apps.
Would that be an equally good IDE to learn C# on?
VS Express for Web would probably not be your best choice, mainly because it isn't quite as simple to create an app, run it and see results (which is what you want if you are learning).
VS Express for Windows gives you a straightforward way to create apps that you can run and see immediate results.