Visual C++ is a powerful development environment that's designed to give you detailed control when you build either native Windows (COM+) applications or .NET Framework managed Windows applications. Visual C++ 2010 Express Edition provides a complete integrated development and debugging environment making it the easiest way to create custom, powerful applications using the C/C++ language. Visual C++ 2010 Express Edition also contains an enhanced version of the C/C++ optimizing compiler for the fastest executables.
Visual C++ 2010 Express Edition is fairly easy to install if you know your way around C++. The start page has been freshly designed and makes finding your way around Visual C++ really simple, whilst the improved code editor also makes the process easier.
Code colorization, syntax checking, IntelliSense and other tools will help you code both quickly and correctly. By using an intuitive graphical debugger you can quickly find and eliminate programming errors you may have made. You will also be able to create .NET Framework applications with advanced features such as data access, networking, and built-in printing support, and build 32-bit native code applications designed for Windows using the Windows Platform SDK.
As this is the express version of Visual C++ some of the features such as some compilers and debugging tools that are available in the full version are not available in Visual C++ 2010 Express Edition. That being said it is a crisp version that is perfect for beginners and is a highly functional tool-set for coding in C++.