There are two required files to write plugins for QERadiant : qerplugin.h and qertypes.h. The plugin API is ANSI C. So the easiest way to write plugins for QERadiant is to use C or C++. However it is also possible to use VB, but no examples are provided yet. A QERadiant plugin is a Win32 DLL with a few exports. A sample one is provided in the ZIP version of the SDK in the sampledll directory. It's a project file for Visual C++ 5.0 or later that builds a plugin as a MFC DLL.
The plugin API should evolve in many ways as new Radiant releases come out. The Half-Life plugin can override the textures, but this feature is not documented yet.
The sampledll files provides a basic framework to write plugins. There are all the exports needed to write a plugin, and one example of brush scanning. For a better understanding of plugin programming, best is to look at the sources of the Rogue plugin, and the sources of MGS.