Visual Studio Team System Boosts Test Tools

Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) 2010, expected to ship in late 2009, includes several major features designed to simplify software testing, take better advantage of lab hardware, and help development teams produce higher-quality software. The new release also focuses on improving cross-team communication and processes, while automating tasks that have previously required repetitive manual effort. However, some of the tools are compatible only with code that runs on the .NET Framework (managed code).

VSTS enables application life-cycle management: collaboration among architects, developers, testers, and project managers who are designing, coding, testing, deploying, and maintaining applications. VSTS supports source-code control, software project management, software build management, testing, and other group development tasks. VSTS consists of a central collaboration server and database called Team Foundation Server (TFS) and a set of specialized editions of the Visual Studio (VS) development environment for the specific roles of architects, developers, and testers. TFS also provides Office- and Web-based reporting and review of software projects for managers and other stakeholders.