Visual Studio Gets Serious About .NET

Microsoft has released Beta 1 of Visual Studio.NET (VS.NET), the first version of Visual Studio to support the .NET Framework. VS.NET gives developers their first detailed look at the revolutionary changes Microsoft is making in its languages, reengineering them into a more “Java-like” form and simultaneously solving many problems that have impeded developers in building distributed applications using Microsoft tools. With this release, Microsoft is moving to directly challenge Java and Unix in the distributed applications and Web services markets and is beginning a serious battle to maintain developer loyalty.

VS.NET is the preferred Microsoft software development tool set for the .NET Framework. Because many of the features in VS.NET may change during the course of beta testing, this article will only summarize the features and look at the strategic issues VS.NET addresses for Microsoft. Packing new tools, wizards, features, and development approaches in a deceptively familiar “drag and drop” environment, this product will require considerable study to master all of its advantages, but it should serve the purpose of luring Microsoft’s existing customer base of developers into the .NET world.