Related: Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 CTP Now Available for Download
Microsoft has launched its second community technology preview (CTP) for its Visual Studio 2013 Update 2, and it looks like this update is shaping up to be a major one compared to Update 1. It's also significant to note that the TypeScript 1.0 Release Candidate (RC) is also being included in this roll out, and Microsoft has confirmed that the final version of TypeScript 1.0 will fully supported within Visual Studio 2013 as a part of Update 2.
Without a doubt, the inclusion of TypeScript 1.0 might be the most exciting update in the release for developers. We've been covering Microsoft's progress on the TypeScript programming language extensively on Dev Pro, where we've highlighted the language's use cases and benefits:
Is TypeScript Ready for Prime Time?
Is Microsoft's TypeScript Programming Language Worth the Fuss?
Build Enterprise-Scale JavaScript Applications with TypeScript
Musing on Microsoft's TypeScript for JavaScript Development
A recurrent question that keeps cropping up on Dev Pro is whether Microsoft's TypeScript will be ready for prime time with the 1.0 release. As Don Kiely has noted in his commentary, "The language seems to have a lot of momentum developing behind it, and once it stabilizes… I think it will be a worthy technology with enormous benefits for large-scale application development using JavaScript."
Microsoft also is confident that the language is gaining traction throughout the development community. In a blog post, Developer Division Corporate Vice President, S. Somasegar explained that the open source community has taken the initiative to develop IDE support for TypeScript in Eclipse and a DefinitelyTyped repository of JavaScript library typings for the most popular JavaScript libraries has also been created.
I also recently had the chance to sit down and talk with C# expert, Eric Lippert, who had a few words to say about the up-and-coming programming language.
In our conversation, Lippert explained how Microsoft functions as a programming language company. In particular, Lippert noted that Microsoft has demonstrated throughout the years that the company is dedicated to building quality languages that add value to the development community.
"Is it ready for prime time? Yes, it is. The Microsoft team has done a lot of research on TypeScript and adoption... It's getting traction within Microsoft and within the development community. I'm excited about that," Lippert explained.
See Microsoft's blog on the announcement to see a complete list of features included in the Visual Studio Update 2 CTP2. Undoubtedly, we'll hear more about TypeScript development at the approaching Build 2014 developer conference in San Francisco in April. Stay up-to-date with us through our social networks as this story continues to develop!
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