Server and Tools Business News Bytes blog : Visual Studio 2008

More Good News for Visual Studio Team System

mdingle — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:51:00 GMT

This is truly an exciting time for developers and development organizations who are using or evaluating Microsoft’s ALM tooling. Over the last few months Jason Zander, GM for Visual Studio has been sharing updates about Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) 2008 and 2010; most recently sharing the new UI for Visual Studio 2010. Today he shared news that leading analyst firm Gartner has positioned Microsoft in the Leaders Quadrant of its Software Change and Configuration management for Distributed Platforms Magic Quadrant. And, on a related note, also recognized was Microsoft’s tooling product with a Positive rating in their December MarketScope for Application Life Cycle Management. Visit Jason’s blog for more commentary on this news.

Read the full reports here:

Software Change and Configuration management for Distributed Platforms Magic Quadrant

MarketScope for Application Life Cycle Management

The Gartner Magic Quadrant is copyrighted (SCCM MQ2009, 3/27/09; MarketScope for Application Life Cycle Management, 12/17/08) by Gartner, Inc., and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the “Leaders” quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

VSLive! provides updates on Visual Studio 2010 and a partnership with Quest Software

mdingle — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Today at VSLive! during his keynote, Jason Zander, GM of Visual Studio for the Developer Division at Microsoft made two announcements about increasing developer efficiency with the next version of Visual Studio and provided an update on the community’s response to Visual Studio 2008. News included:

· A first look at the completely redesigned user interface (UI) for Visual Studio 2010. The new UI for Visual Studio 2010 will include a reorganized layout, reduced clutter and complexity, and WPF shell animations, among other improvements. Collectively, this means a better experience and greater efficiency for developers.

· A partnership with Quest Software that will streamline ALM for development teams working in heterogeneous environments; specifically developers targeting Oracle databases. This means an integrated experience for Oracle developers, allowing them to use the power of Visual Studio Team System 2010 Development Edition for all their programming tasks.

For a first look at the new UI, details about the Quest Software partnership, and an update on community feedback on Visual Studio 2008, see Jason’s keynote interview on PressPass. More details can also be found on Jason's blog.

TechEd EMEA- Latest Innovations from Microsoft Help Developers Build Better Applications, Faster

grantkd — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT

During the keynote address at Microsoft TechEd EMEA 2008 Developers, Jason Zander, General Manager of the Developer Division at Microsoft Corp., highlighted how Microsoft is dramatically simplifying everyday development tasks through recently released technologies, such as Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, and the forthcoming Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4 releases.

Designed to simplify and improve the day-to-day experiences for millions of developers, Visual Studio 2010 will deliver:

Windows 7 support
Office Business Applications support
A WPF-based editor
Further C++ investments

More information about Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4 is available at www.microsoft.com/vsfutures.

In addition to disclosing more information about Visual Studio 2010, Zander announced new programs and tools modeled after its internal Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) that enable software developers to create more secure and privacy-enhanced applications.

The SDL Optimization Model and the Microsoft SDL Threat Modeling Tool are available for download today at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/aa570309.aspx. More information on the SDL Pro Network is available at www.microsoft.com/sdl.

Microsoft also announced a big step forward in the world of digital identity, unveiling the first public beta of a software platform, code-named “Geneva”, which will help developers create applications across the ‘cloud’, between organizations and on-premises with a single, simplified and open identity model. “Geneva” implements the shared industry vision of an interoperable Identity Metasystem via support for industry standard protocols such as WS-* and SAML and other interoperability capabilities. Additionally, Microsoft announced a collaboration with Orange and eBay on a proof-of-concept customer experience for eBay Powersellers and Orange network users that would use Windows^® Cardspace “Geneva”, the next generation of Microsoft’s identity card selector for users.

For more on these announcements and to view the full press release, please visit the TechEd Global Pressroom.

Jason Zander gives an overview of the announcements in his keynote in this video:

Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Release

grantkd — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:18:00 GMT

Microsoft announced today the release of Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1. The two service packs make it even easier to develop applications for the latest platforms, with new features such as the .NET Framework Client Profile for faster deployment of Windows applications, multiple enhancements to ASP.NET, and unparalleled support for database application development through the ADO.NET Entity Framework, ADO.NET Data Services and integration with SQL Server 2008.

For more information, please go to the full press release here.

Wave of New Microsoft Enterprise Products Bring Big Benefits to IT Professionals and Developers

grantkd — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:15:00 GMT

Largest enterprise launch in company history includes Windows Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008; focuses on security, Web, virtualization and better business intelligence.

Kicking off more than 225 events around the world and joined by more than 4,000 customers and partners, Microsoft Corp.’s Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer today showcased the next generation of infrastructure and application platform products, including Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

The launch represents a major milestone to help customers on the road to Dynamic IT, Microsoft’s initiative to help customers optimize their people, processes and technology, and in turn position IT as a strategic asset for their business. These new enterprise products help customers more efficiently and securely manage their entire infrastructure and move to a virtualized environment while also delivering business intelligence and next-generation Web experiences to boost business results. The theme of the events, “Heroes Happen Here,” highlights the outstanding work that IT professionals, developers and partners do every day to create solutions and cutting-edge applications that keep global commerce and industry running.

“IT professionals and developers tell us they spend too much time and money managing existing systems and not enough investing in new capabilities that create strategic advantage,” Ballmer said. “That feedback is at the core of the innovations in this new wave of products. Already, the overwhelming response from thousands of IT professionals and developers around the world is that this is the most secure enterprise platform we have ever delivered, and that it will simplify management and enable them to focus more on driving their businesses forward.”

For the full press release, please click here:

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/feb08/02-27HeroesHappenHerePR.mspx

LINKS

Heroes Happen Here

Virtual Pressroom

BLOGS

For more on these announcements, please visit these blogs:

http://blogs.technet.com/windowsserver/

http://blogs.msdn.com/stevemar/default.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/applicationplatform/

http://blogs.technet.com/mapblog/

http://blogs.technet.com/dataplatforminsider/

http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/

http://blogs.msdn.com/somasegar/

http://blogs.msdn.com/trika/default.aspx

VIDEOS

Watch the keynote

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces the launch of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 with 4,000 customers and partners in Los Angeles.

Industry Luminary Panel

IDC's Al Gillen talks with executives from leading technology companies to discuss some of the innovations and challenges that will shape enterprise datacenters in the coming years. The members of the panel include: Al Gillen, Research Vice President, IDC; Randy Allen, Corporate Vice President Server and Workstation Division, AMD; Dr. Ajei Gopal, Executive Vice President, Enterprise IT Management Group, CA; Rick Becker, Vice President, Enterprise Software & Solutions, Dell; James Mouton, Executive Vice President, Technology Solutions Group, HP; Kirk Skaugen, Vice President, Server Platform Group, Intel; Bob Muglia, Senior Vice President, Server and Tools Business (STB), Microsoft; Mark Feverston, Senior Vice President and GM, Systems and Technology, Unisys.

Q&A: Steve Ballmer Talks with IDC's Al Gillen

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talks with Al Gillen, system software research VP at IDC, about what the launch means for business customers and industry partners.

San Diego Zoo Customer Case Study

Find out how the San Diego Zoo is using Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 to create the best possible experience for its nearly 6 million yearly visitors.

Training Aims to Help IT Pros Become Heroes

Chris Pirie, General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Microsoft Learning, talks with Michael Johnson, a Microsoft Certified Trainer about how early readiness for Windows Server 2008 has directly impacted his business and enables IT professionals to immediately adopt and deploy the new technology.

Hear about the First Customer to Deploy Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008

Jim DuBois, General Manager of Information Security & Infrastructure Services for Microsoft IT, highlights the internal Microsoft deployment of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.