As new to .Net, To start with webappication Following Combination might help
If want robust Development
- Asp.Net WebForms (Engine)
- ADO.NET (Data Access)
- SQL SERVER (DB)
Above will do most of the code for you and you can easily alter the disigner or modify accordingly.
If you want more control over your Development process, I would recommend following
- ASP.NET MVC (Engine)
- LinqToSQL, NHibernate (DataAccess)
- SQL SERVER (DB)
WPF is next generation of Windows / desktop based application programmng not Web based. It does provide a template for Browser based Application but is probably limited to Internet Explorer, but not all browsers. I not sure about WPF, some one might add to it.
As you intend to work on Web Application, this would not be a good idea to start with
IDE fro all above is definitely Visual Studio 2008+, as it provides access to all of the units / components of your application including view and designer for Database.
You can download one here
for 3 Months Trial
Hope it help