Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 Is Major Feature Release

Visual Studio (VS) 2013 Update 2 became generally available in May 2014, bringing many new features to the integrated development environment. Windows Phone 8.1 development tools and features that support the Universal Apps strategy, which eases sharing code between Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 applications, are included. Other enhancements deliver more integration with Azure, improvements for Web application development, and tools for working with TypeScript (Microsoft’s typed, JavaScript-based language). Team Foundation Server (TFS) Update 2 was released separately in Apr. 2014. Previews of Update 3 and the next version of VS, expected in 2015, are also available.

Windows Phone 8.1, Universal Apps Tools Delivered

Windows Phone 8.1 is being offered on new Windows Phone devices and as an upgrade for Windows Phone 8 devices. Phone 8.1 is a major upgrade that brings many new features, but it also delivers new XAML and JavaScript-based development frameworks that make Phone 8.1 application code highly reusable with Windows 8.1 applications. VS 2013 Update 2 delivers Phone 8.1 tools that enable developers to build applications using the latest frameworks or to maintain existing (or create new) applications using the earlier Silverlight-based XAML framework, which remains supported by Phone 8.1.