You're right about the $$ outlay for PowerBasic. That's one of the reasons I started looking for alternatives...
It comes with a better than average manual in pdf format, but if you're like me, you like to hold it in your hands, so that'll cost you...
It is, however, extremely stable and powerful (excpet for the complete lack of music\sound\graphics commands!).
As far as VB.Net being cheaper than PB... I believe that's called a "loss leader". You lose money at first (well, not really), but once they get your program, you have them! Typical MS greed. They're just REALLY trying to push the whole .net thing down our throats, for good or for bad...
Russell
MoonRock (Basic for real DOS)
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*** Make every vote equal: Abolish the Electoral College ***
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