Updated: July 9, 2020 (February 2, 2004)

Developer Tools

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration services and client software. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s... more

This section covers products for software developers, including the Visual Studio integrated development environment, the .NET Framework software infrastructure for applications, and the Visual Studio Tools for Office which support development of client code on Office 2003 applications.

The most important upcoming developer releases are two Visual Studio versions aligned with strategic products from other groups. Specifically, the next Visual Studio version (Whidbey) will support development of server-side code for SQL Server Yukon, and a subsequent version called Orcas will support software development for Windows Longhorn. Both versions will be critical for attracting new developers to the products that they support.

(For a graphical overview of recent and upcoming developer tools, see the illustration “Developer Tools Overview“.)

Visual Studio

Visual Studio is the most popular integrated development environment (IDE) for the Microsoft platform. Since the Feb. 2002 release of Visual Studio .NET, the product delivers the C#, VB.NET, and C++ programming languages with graphical tools and wizards for designing, coding, and testing software in those languages. (See the chart “Past Visual Studio Versions“.)

Atlas Members have full access

Get access to this and thousands of other unbiased analyses, roadmaps, decision kits, infographics, reference guides, and more, all included with membership. Comprehensive access to the most in-depth and unbiased expertise for Microsoft enterprise decision-making is waiting.

Membership Options

Already have an account? Login Now