Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Microsoft Announces Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1, Including "Express" Dev Tools
Posted by Janak Parekh in "DEVELOPER" @ 04:00 PM
Today, Microsoft announced the release of beta 1 of Visual Studio 2005 (previously codenamed "Whidbey") at Tech-Ed Europe. While the full version of VS2005 will be made available to MSDN subscribers and the like, Microsoft is making an immediate download available of a special "Express" edition of Visual Studio. It's particularly interesting to see the logic behind the "Express" edition:
"Microsoft realizes that there are distinct needs for beginning hobbyists, enthusiasts, and students who want to get started programming with the .NET Framework. To address those needs, we announced the "Express" products. The Express products are lightweight, easy-to-use, easy-to-learn tools for hobbyists, enthusiasts, and students who want to build dynamic Windows applications and Web sites...Please visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/express/ to learn more about the new Express Beta products. We are even making Beta 1 of the Express products available for free, public download! We encourage you to check them out, tell your friends and kids about them, and give us feedback."
It sounds like VS2005 Express might finally be a potential replacement for the free eMbedded Visual Tools, but with .NET Compact Framework support (the linked article makes no reference to the .NET CF, although the System Requirements do). While it's not clear if the final version of VS2005 Express will be free, the suggestion is that it will be an "affordable" solution, and meanwhile, the Beta 1 is certainly free for download. So, for those of you wanting to get your feet wet on .NET CF programming, but are unable to get your hands on a copy of VS2003, consider checking this out.
"Microsoft realizes that there are distinct needs for beginning hobbyists, enthusiasts, and students who want to get started programming with the .NET Framework. To address those needs, we announced the "Express" products. The Express products are lightweight, easy-to-use, easy-to-learn tools for hobbyists, enthusiasts, and students who want to build dynamic Windows applications and Web sites...Please visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/express/ to learn more about the new Express Beta products. We are even making Beta 1 of the Express products available for free, public download! We encourage you to check them out, tell your friends and kids about them, and give us feedback."
It sounds like VS2005 Express might finally be a potential replacement for the free eMbedded Visual Tools, but with .NET Compact Framework support (the linked article makes no reference to the .NET CF, although the System Requirements do). While it's not clear if the final version of VS2005 Express will be free, the suggestion is that it will be an "affordable" solution, and meanwhile, the Beta 1 is certainly free for download. So, for those of you wanting to get your feet wet on .NET CF programming, but are unable to get your hands on a copy of VS2003, consider checking this out.
