C++ is still one of the most, if not the most, widely used of programming languages. The most commonly used compiler for C++ is still Visual C++ from Microsoft. A lot of the focus in Visual Studio .NET 1.X has been on C#; Visual C++ .NET 1.X had a lot of problems and was frankly a disappointment. A lot of those problems centered around the core language under Visual C++, called Managed C++, because it sought to make C++ work in the .NET world of managed code. Microsoft recognized the problems, and brought in some of the biggest names in the C++ world, including Stan Lippman, to help fix them. For version 2.0 of Visual Studio .NET they have completely re-worked Managed C++, to the extent that they are giving it a new name: C++/CLI. This addition to standard C++ will itself be standardized by the ISO and the ECMA. C++/CLI has several advantages over C# and VB, most importantly that it allows you to seamlessly bring existing C++-based applications into .NET. Secondarily, it will allow the hundreds of thousands of existing C++ programmers to keep their hard-won C++ skills while still taking advantage of the power of .NET. With C++/CLI there is a migration path not just for C++ legacy code but also for the C++ expertise of countless programmers. This book, from one of the architects of C++/CLI and one of the top C++ experts in the world, will be both the first and the most authoritative guide available on this important new language.