Doesn't look like you got a lot of answers to the real underlying question there... Which development environment? Visual Studio is arguably the best (I would argue that it is), especially for the MS stack. The varieties that you noted are "Web", "Windows", "Desktop", "Phone", "TFS". "Windows" is only for "Modern Apps" on Windows 8+. "Phone" is only for Windows phone apps. "Web" only for web apps (like ASP .Net) or services. "Windows Desktop" is for WinForms or WPF with C# or VB (you can also create Win32 apps as well but I doubt that's what you want). "TFS" is actually not Visual Studio it is Team Foundation Server which is a Source Control solution which also integrates bug tracking, collaboration and planning tools amongst others. It isn't an IDE so shouldn't be on your list. However you SHOULD use it (even as a single dev) but I would look at VS Online for that because it provides free online source control for up to 5 users and is excellent. From the sound of things you should install Express 2013 for Windows Desktop. You could also install "Web" in case you do decide to try making web applications. However you can just as easily use Web Matrix for that if you are only doing simple development and it has a much smaller learning curve. You also specified Database access. And you could continue to use Access for all of that but to be honest SQL Server CE or MySQL are just as simple to use and far better so I would go with one of them. Not full MSSQL server for these small applications unless you don't mind the hassle of installing and providing support for your users who will have no idea how to use it. As to which language? That is pure opinion but I think the fundamentals of programming apply to any language and learning what is required for making a swimming pool club frontend is very little. Do yourself a favour and learn C# then later when you choose to expand yourself you will find it much easier. Winforms will probably be familiar enough to start with but I highly advise you pick up WPF along the way. You will like it I promise. Also don't listen to people who say "Yay for Web Apps"... everyone does not want them! I would take a fluid, responsive native app over a web app every time. And for your purposes the "Users" are swimming clubs and are unlikely to want to host and maintain any web apps themselves. Until someone asks you to do that of course... but that is the time you should start learning about web ;) Hope that helps you out.