Is the June CTP for Me?

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With the release of a June CTP of Team System you may be wondering, “Is the June CTP for me?” Here are my thoughts on that.

Yes

  • If you just want to see what’s new since Beta 2. The June CTP represents 3.5 months of additional work since Beta 2 was locked-down back in February.
  • If you don't mind less than Beta quality. This is a CTP release. As I noted in this blog post (Team System Community Technology Previews), CTP releases don’t undergo the same level of scrutiny as a beta release.
  • If you want to see if a defect you reported in Beta 2 was fixed. If you submitted feedback through the MSDN Product Feedback Center, there’s a chance that it might be fixed in this release.
  • If you want the latest documentation. The docs in the June CTP represent more than 4 months of additional work since the Beta 2 docs were locked-down. These docs are not available online.
  • If you don’t mind a dual-server installation. This CTP will only support a dual-server deployment of Team Foundation Server.

No

  • If you want to run production code using the Go-Live License. CTP releases do not support running production code using the Beta 2 Go-Live License. The Beta 2 Go-Live license only applies to these particular products: https://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/vs2005/golive/products/.
  • If you have Beta 2 up and running already. You probably invested valuable time getting Beta 2 installed. Unless you have plenty of hardware, or you’re using VPCs, you should probably wait.
  • If you only want beta quality or better. As noted above, CTPs are not as stable or reliable as Beta releases.
  • If you find installation to be too challenging. The Team Foundation Installation Guide was not updated for this release. As such, you’ll need to discover what works on your own.
  • If you prefer a single-server installation. As noted above, this CTP will only support a dual-server deployment of Team Foundation Server.
  • If you are evaluating DSL Tools. The current DSL Tools release works with the Beta 2 version of Visual Studio.

The June CTP is now available for download. Here's the description:

This is the June Community Technology Preview (CTP) of [Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition, Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite,Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server]. While betas receive a much higher level of testing and feature work, CTPs are intended to expose experienced developers to the latest working build. The Visual Studio 2005 Community Technology Preview June 2005 is therefore still unsupported pre-release software and upgrading to or from this CTP is not supported.

Customers evaluating Visual Studio 2005 for the first time are encouraged to download Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2.

NOTE: Visual Studio 2005 June CTP is not compatible with the SQL 2005 June CTP, but will work with the included SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. The June CTP of Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server requires the April CTP of SQL Server 2005.