Visual Studio .NET

Visual Studio .NET represents the next generation of Microsoft's key multi-language software development platform, Visual Studio. Visual Studio .NET allows developers to create Web services using any of several development languages based on Microsoft's highly publicized .NET Platform.

The development platform consists of IDEs for Visual Basic, Visual C++, and C#. This latter development language, which is pronounced "C-Sharp" and is described by Microsoft as a "...component-oriented language for C and C++ developers," has also been ratified by the ECMA General Assembly as a language standard (ECMA-334 and ECMA-335).

Key features of Visual Studio .NET include a single Visual InterDev based development environment supporting the three included languages, including shared functions such as task lists, help, and macro support; end-to-end debugging support for both code in progress and stored procedures; and the ability to easily create packaged Web services through the automatic generation of interfacing code for existing components.

Also included with Visual Studio .NET is the .NET Framework SDK, Microsoft's Web services engine that includes a common language runtime and Framework class libraries for the running and integration of XML based Web services (see related link below).

The final release of Visual Studio .NET was announced as part of Microsoft's VSLive! launch event on February 13, 2002. Three versions are offered. The Professional Version is for independent developers and carries an estimated retail price of $1,079; the Enterprise Developer Version is primarily for development teams and adds collaborative and automated testing tools for $1,799; and the Enterprise Architect builds on all the features of the previous versions and adds Visio-based database and UML application modeling and support for Enterprise Template Projects ($2,499). Upgrade pricing is available.

Visit the Microsoft Web site for further details.