Visual Studio 2008 + .NET 3.5 is LIVE!
It's official! The product we've all be waiting for is released! It's been a fun ride, 2 years 12 days since VS 2005 was released. Our new version has a lot of great new functionality.
Check it all out at the MSDN site for Visual Studio 2008. The .NET Framework 3.5 is ready, there's a 90-day trial of VS, and Express Editions are free. MSDN Subscribers can download VS 2008 now.
Some of my favorite new features are:
- Code Profiler
The Profiler has seen huge improvements in this version. It is quick and easy to use. I've pinned down perf issues in code in minutes using it, including a 5x app speed gain due to string comparisons. It is in VS Team Suite & Developer editions. - LINQ
I'm totally digging LINQ now and am excited to see others use it in production code. I love all the misc language improvements in C# 3.0 (mostly due to LINQ). My ASP.NET provider, DiscountASP.NET has had a free Beta2 sandbox to play with. But I've been using the latest build for awhile so I'm looking forward to getting my code published. :) - Overall Performance
VS load fast, real fast now. One of my favorite demos is to assign a hotkey to VS, and just keep hitting it to load instances in about 3sec each. Given this is with the Start Page turned off and without a project loading, but overall it's noticeable better than 2005.
Stuff to Check Out
- Soma's blog and Brian Harry's on VS, they've got a lot to say!
- Keep an eye on Sara Ford's Visual Studio 2008 Tip of the Day for tweaks and tips, I learn something new every week.
- VS 2008 even has it's own Facebook group. :)
- Defy All Challenges is a fun "Fable Meets Halo" video game style marketing campaign.
- And of course the official Microsoft MSDN website of VS 2008
- P.S. I've been using VS'08 on Vista 64bit for awhile now and it's working out great.
(This is my first release of VS to see all the way through. When I joined we were mid way through VS 2005. It's exciting to see VS from start to finish. Enjoy!)