I used to dabble in VB6 but haven't used it for some years. It seems obsolete or near obsolete so I have downloaded Visual Basic Express Edition. Can this be used for basic programming or do I have to go out and buy Visual Studio, bearing in mind I am a near novice at programming. What are the added benefits of the "pay for" package over the freebie.

Also, does Visual Basic now compile itself into an installable programme (i.e. an EXE file) or do you still need third party installation software to make an installable programme. If the latter, any suggestions as to a reasonable package?