Introduction

Visual Studio (VS) 2012 and the .NET Framework 4.5 update Microsoft’s development platform with additions and enhancements across almost all areas, including tooling, languages, and runtime components. Many additions will help developers write code that meets the demands of the latest applications, such as touch-based user interfaces (UIs) for Windows 8, while saving time with better-performing, streamlined tools. New life-cycle management capabilities could help development, operations, and other personnel handle shorter development cycles and tighter integration between software development and other business processes. Other enhancements aim to better integrate Microsoft’s cloud services with the tools while easing implementation of applications that take advantage of those services.

Visual Studio Critical to Microsoft Platform Success

VS, the most popular IDE for Microsoft’s platforms, provides graphical tools and wizards for designing, coding, debugging, and testing both managed applications, based on Microsoft’s .NET Framework runtime and languages such as the C# and Visual Basic (VB), and traditional, unmanaged C and C++ applications. With its Team Foundation Server (TFS) system, VS also enables application life-cycle management by providing an environment for collaboration and communication among developers, testers, architects, and project managers. TFS provides a centralized server infrastructure for source code control, software project management, software build management, testing, and other group development tasks.