Welcome to the Visual Studio (VS) 2010 issue of DevConnections! We’ll show you how the latest version of VS simplifies the entire development cycle and helps you unleash creativity and build quality applications.
Efficient Development Solutions in Challenging Times
Microsoft is acutely aware of the requirements for developers like you to deliver results faster, do more with fewer resources, and learn complex technologies. These are tough times. When you’re building applications for your end users, we know it’s tricky to balance new features with a tight schedule. With VS 2010 and the .NET Framework 4.0, we’ve helped you solve development problems quickly and efficiently, while enabling you to dream big.
New Technologies, Familiar Environments
Since the days of Visual Basic 1.0, Microsoft has aimed to deliver tools that let you harness new technologies with languages and environments you already know. The next release of VS continues that tradition with integrated support for Windows 7, Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Windows Azure, and much more. Built on the .NET Framework 4.0, VS 2010 helps extend and transfer your existing skills to exciting new technologies, providing greater flexibility and power. We’ve worked hard to make sure that VS 2010 and the .NET Framework 4.0 have something for every developer. For those of you who love to code, we’ve made the coding experience amazing by re-plumbing the environment in Windows Presentation Foundation and adding multimonitor support. Now, you can have one monitor displaying code, another displaying the UI, and yet another displaying the database structure. These are just a couple examples of the many features we’ve added to bring back the fun of coding.
Integration with Other Microsoft Releases
VS 2010 includes a wealth of functionality that ties in to the latest Microsoft releases. The built-in support for Windows 7 multitouch and Ribbon interfaces helps you deliver stunning applications to end users. For the first time, SharePoint developers have integrated access to SharePoint functionality in the VS integrated development environment (IDE). With Windows Azure Tools, you can get started quickly, and easily develop, debug, test, and deploy web applications from within the familiar VS environment. And Silverlight 4 creates a whole new way for developers to build Windows and web applications that run inside and outside of the browser.
All of the features in VS 2010 are built on the .NET Framework 4.0, which runs side-by-side with the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, so you don’t have to worry about breaking existing applications. These products combine to help developers turn ideas into reality and build on the creative strengths of an entire team.
Powerful Application Lifecycle Management Tools
VS 2010 provides powerful tools for developers who manage projects, maintain source code, and find bugs. The new IntelliTrace feature, our “time machine for testers,” makes non-reproducible bugs a thing of the past. It records the application’s execution history and guarantees that you can always reproduce the reported bug, enabling the tester to pass on the right information to squash the bug once and for all. This is just one of the hundreds of features we’ve added to help with application lifecycle management. If you’re using VS Team System 2008 or 2005, we hope these features will be a quantum leap for you.
A Simplified Purchase Process
Customers also asked us to simplify the purchase process. In response, we’ve made it easier for companies to find the right version of VS and MSDN subscription. We now offer three flavors of VS: Professional Edition, Premium Edition, and Ultimate Edition, and each comes with its own MSDN subscription. This new approach more closely aligns with other Microsoft products that you use every day, such as Windows and Office. To select the version that’s right for you, visit www.microsoft.com/visualstudio.
The VS team at Microsoft is looking forward to seeing the amazing applications you create with VS 2010. So sit down with this issue of DevConnections, download the VS 2010 trial from www.microsoft.com/visualstudio, and start turning your ideas into solutions. And, of course, get ready for the launch of VS 2010 and the .NET Framework 4.0!
