Microsoft Announces Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1, Including "Express" Dev Tools

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/vs2005/welcome/default.aspx' target='_blank'>http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/vs200...me/default.aspx</a><br /><br /></div>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:<br /><br /><i>"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 <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/express/">http://msdn.microsoft.com/express/</a> 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."</i><br /><br />It sounds like <a href="http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/">VS2005 Express</a> might finally be a potential replacement for the free <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/mobility/prodtechinfo/devtools/eVT/default.aspx">eMbedded Visual Tools</a>, but with .NET Compact Framework support (the linked article makes no reference to the .NET CF, although the <a href="http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/sysreqs/">System Requirements</a> 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.

[James Fee]

I think this is the first step toward real free developer tools from Microsoft. Microsoft would give away Visual Studio if they could, but I'm sure Borland and others might not be happy with it. The best way to get people writing for Windows Server and the Windows platforms is give the tools away.

[Kevin Daly]

OK, having made a big fuss about this I feel compelled to point out that having downloaded and installed the beta in question, there is currently no explicit support for Windows Mobile development.
However, the reference to the Compact Framework in the system requirements remains, and I am hopeful that it's simply a matter of the appropriate bits not being ready yet.
With any luck we will have some clarification from Microsoft over the next few days.

[Kevin Daly]

All Is Revealed (more or less) in this (http://blogs.msdn.com/danielfe/archive/2004/06/29/168453.aspx) thread.

I was definitely prematurely enthusiastic.

[MikeInDallas]

I just downloaded this, like Kevin, getting pretty excited, but as the download is only 2.5MB I'm doubtful it does a whole lot. :?:

I've been working with eVC for about 6 months now. From what I understand, it's based on VS (same code base I assume), so it only seems to follow that this would eventually replace eVC. I sure hope it's as well integrated with the emulators and CPU support as eVC. :roll:

There's another issue here too, and that is .NET limits your distribution to 2003+ machines, or those willing to install the "compact" framework (I dread requiring that much additional memory to install a simple freeware app I write, for example). eVC 3.0 still covers the broadest CE range, so I expect to be using it for some time to come.

[Janak Parekh]

I just downloaded this, like Kevin, getting pretty excited, but as the download is only 2.5MB I'm doubtful it does a whole lot. :?:
It most definitely does not handle .NET CF, and that appears to be confirmed for the foreseeable future. :( The "good" news is that the "base" editions with .NET CF support should be affordable, but I don't know how that's going to play out exactly.

--janak

[Kowalski]

There's another issue here too, and that is .NET limits your distribution to 2003+ machines, or those willing to install the "compact" framework (I dread requiring that much additional memory to install a simple freeware app I write, for example). eVC 3.0 still covers the broadest CE range, so I expect to be using it for some time to come
just because of this, i plan to move to .NET not less than a year or two.
there are still people using wm2002 devices