Microsoft’s ASP.NET

gives programmers a way to create websites for free. Companies like Lego, MySpace.com, Microsoft and Dell used ASP.NET to develop their company sites. If it’s good enough for Lego, is it good enough for you? Well, check out their site to decide for yourself. ASP.NET is an economical solution because it’s free, and as the saying goes, the best things in life are free. ASP.NET uses less code, which translates to fewer headaches and ASP.NET web hosting is easily obtainable for a small fee.

For those unversed in ASP.NET

there are plenty of beginner books on the market to bring you from novice level to, well, maybe not expert status, but something above novice. For those who need to understand more than the basic concepts, there’s a variety of professional level books available too.

Advanced developers may appreciate ASP.NET 3.5 Unleashed by Stephen Walther. This is a heavy book that weighs in at almost 6 pounds and is not for the faint-hearted.

But, Walther is a Microsoft legend, so he is to be trusted. This book shows programmers how to build interactive sites that can handle tons of traffic, and gives tips on securing applications. He shows you how to use ASP.NET AJAX and how to best use Microsoft’s database query language.

Pro ASP.NET MVC Framework by Steven Sanderson is getting high marks at Amazon. Sanderson’s book goes over REST concepts and explores all facets of the ASP.NET MVC framework. A lot of readers are saying that it’s the best techie book they have ever read.

Beginning ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB by Imar Spaanjaars is appreciated by beginners with little or no code understanding. Spaanjaars explains how to install Visual Web Developer and builds on what you’ve learned from chapter to chapter. By the end of the book, even novices can build rich, interactive web sites with no fear.