Free Hosted TFS Proxy Beta Service released by DiscountASP.NET

To help improve developer team productivity, DiscountASP.NET launches a hosted TFS Proxy service as a free beta for TFS hosting customers.

DiscountASP.NET, a leading innovator in hosting solutions for Microsoft developers, announces launching new hosted TFS Proxy servers as a free beta service for their TFS hosting customers. The free TFS proxy servers allow customers with developer team members that are located far from DiscountASP.NET data centers to improve their productivity.

TFS Proxy is a caching proxy server that caches local copies of source control files and by having the proxy in closer proximity to the developer’s location, the developer’s productivity can improve from speed enhancements.

DiscountASP.NET launched hosted TFS Proxy servers in three geographical regions - in the USA West Coast, Europe and Asia.
“We are committed to providing innovative hosting solutions that help Microsoft developers become more productive,” said Takeshi Eto, VP Marketing and Business Development at DiscountASP.NET. “We have many international TFS hosting customers as well as customers with developer teams located across the globe. We hope that this new service will improve their hosting experience.”

To support this proxy service, a new Proxy Manager was introduced in the TFS control panel for customers to enable/disable and manage the TFS Proxy servers.

what's new in Visual Studio 2010?

1. UML: Now draw UML diagram right from your Visual Studio. No need to buy another tool or go to Visio to do that.

2. Application Architecture Re-engineering: You have a ready made code-solution, now you have to explain it to some one but have documents. VS2010 will help you to draw an application architecture using you application code. This way you get a big picture of your application and also all linkages between different classes. Good for new joiners in an existing team.

3. Stuff for Manual Testers: Manual tester can breathe a lot better with VS2010 tools, log in all your test cases and select the test case to run and click record and then execute your test case as usual and see what you get. If test case passes, you get evidence (most clients in service based companies want that) as videos or if the test case fails, you get the steps to reproduce as videos. Cool, isn’t it?

4. Besides these a lot more in Unit Testing side.

5. A lot more features and integration with SharePoint.

6. Above all brings in .NET 4.0

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Visual Studio 2008 simplifies JavaScript debugging

With Visual Studio 2008 installed, there is one additional requirement for enabling JavaScript debugging: Internet Explorer must have script debugging enabled. This setting is available via the Tools | Internet Options menu within Internet Explorer. Once the Internet Options dialog box is open, select the Advanced tab and the Disable Script Debugging option is located in the Browsing section. It should not be checked so that it is enabled.

Features

The JavaScript debugger presents many standard debugging features. The following list provides a review of some of these features.

* Breakpoints: Breakpoints allow you to stop code execution at specific points within the source code. JavaScript breakpoints work just like C#/VB breakpoints.
Breakpoints are set/cleared by clicking to the left of the code within the IDE; by using the Debug menu or by using the Breakpoint Context menu available by right-clicking on the code. In addition, you may create conditional breakpoints to allow you to define conditions for the breakpoint, as well as set up a macro to run or a message to print when the breakpoint is triggered. Breakpoints are viewable in the Watch window located by default in the lower left of Visual Studio 2008.
* Call Stack: The Call Stack tab in the lower right of Visual Studio 2008 allows you to view what is being called when the ASP.NET page is loaded/running.
* Locals: The Locals tab in the lower left of Visual Studio 2008 allows you to view the values of variables and objects during script execution. Also, you may change the contents of one of the local variables while the page is running.
* Execute code: The Immediate Window tab in the lower right of Visual Studio 2008 allows you to execute JavaScript code on-the-fly during page execution.

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Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional

Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition is a comprehensive set of tools that accelerates the process of turning the developer�s vision into reality. Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition was engineered to support development projects that target the Web (including ASP.NET AJAX), Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, The 2007 Microsoft Office system, SQL Server 2008, and Windows Mobile devices. The number of platforms that developers must target to meet business needs is increasing rapidly. Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition provides the integrated toolset for addressing all of these needs by providing a superset of the functionality available in Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition.

Today�s developers face the challenge of targeting a broad range of platforms and crafting applications that quickly deliver value to the business. Integrated designers and language features in Visual Studio allow developers to build the connected applications demanded by today�s businesses while taking advantage of the .NET Framework 3.5 to reduce development time.

Deliver high-performance applications
Connect to the data you need, regardless of its location, and build datadrivenapplications using Language Integrated Query (LINQ).

Build great client applications
Develop compelling solutions that leverage the user experience and capabilities of the 2007Microsoft Office system and Windows Vista�.

Build powerful Web applications
Build rich, interactive applications using the ASP.NET AJAX interactive Web interfaces.


What's New in 2008
-> Build applications that utilize the latest Web technologies with improved support for AJAX and Web Controls and the Microsoft AJAX Library

-> Create Web applications more easily with an improved design surface and standards support

-> Utilize data from any data source more smoothly with LINQ, a set of language extensions to Visual Basic and Visual C#

-> Manage and build applications that target multiple versions of the .NET Framework. For the first time, you can use one tool to work on applications that run on .NET Framework versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5

-> Ensure application correctness more easily with integrated unit testing in Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition

-> Discover the full power of the .NET Framework 3.5 with integrated tools which simplify building great user experiences and connected systems

-> Build stunning user experiences with integrated designers for Windows Presentation Foundation. Experiences built with WPF can interoperate seamlessly with Windows Forms

-> Create connected applications using new visual designers for Windows Communications Foundation and Windows Workflow Foundation

-> Use Visual Studio�s professional development environment to build Microsoft Office-based solutions that are reliable, scalable, and easy to maintain (available in Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition only)

-> Enhance collaboration between developers and designers to create more compelling user experiences

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Features of Visual Studio 2008

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition supports developers working on projects that target the Web (including ASP.NET AJAX), Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, SQL Server 2008, and Windows Mobile devices.

Features

Write code faster
Use productivity-enhancing features such as IntelliSense technology, auto-completion, method lookup, syntax and type checking, code snippets, and more.

Build software for Windows
Develop with the Windows APIs or .NET Framework using the same tools to build Windows services, applications, utilities, games, or business applications.

Build software for the Web
Build dynamic Web sites that use AJAX programming techniques to optimize the user experience, or build Web services that integrate applications.

Build software for the Microsoft Office System
Build Office Business Applications to connect end users with data and businessprocesses managed by back-end systems through familiar Office programs.

Build software for mobile devices
Write embedded software and compelling mobile applications that extend data in line-of-business systems to mobile workers.

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Visual Studio 2010 & .NET 4.0 Training Kit Available

If you're interested in learning more about the what's coming in the VS 2010/.NET 4.0 wave, check out the "Visual Studio 2010 & .NET 4.0 Training Kit" (November Preview)

The Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 Training Kit includes presentations, hands-on labs, and demos. This content is designed to help you learn how to utilize the Visual Studio 2010 features and a variety of framework technologies including: C# 4.0, Visual Basic 10, F#, Parallel Computing Platform, WCF, WF, WPF, ASP.NET AJAX 4.0, ASP.NET MVC Dynamic Data. The kit will be expanded and updated periodically as final release approaches.

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Microsoft to explain innovations in Visual Studio and .NET 4.0

Microsoft has selected some of its key executives to explain innovations it planned incorporating in .NET 4.0 and Visual Studio. The move is part of an action plan evolved in the recently organised TechEd developer and PDC events.

Code-named as “Rosario”, Microsoft’s next version of Visual Studio is being promoted as a tool set which will raise analysis of application development process to new levels.

The company is committed to democratise application lifecycle management process. It is working on product enhancement which would meet software development requirements arising from cloud computing, virtualisation and parallelism trends.

Delegates visiting the UK to explain about forthcoming tools included Jason Zander, GM for Visual Studio and Matt Carter, Group Product Manager.

Shedding light on Visual Studio 2010 (VS2010), Carter stated that it is strongly focussed on providing insight, in terms of function and structure of code, of the development process. Microsoft is ensuring to make it easier for building web applications. It is also aimed at encouraging departmental business applications development that makes use of Office UI. Microsoft is also looking forward to make development of SharePoint feel like development of Visual Studio to improve usability.

Carter disclosed that Microsoft wants to reach out to those C++ developers who have made big investment on lines of C++ code, so that they could carry those into the Visual Studio environment.

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Microsoft details plans for Visual Studio and .NET

In the wake of the recent PDC and TechEd developer events, Microsoft has decided to put some of its key executives out on the road to explain the innovations that Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4.0 have in store.

Microsoft is promoting the next version of its Visual Studio toolset, code-named Rosario, as offering new levels of analysis of the application development process.

On the back of a well-rehearsed pledge to democratise the application lifecycle management process, the company is hedging its bets with a set of product enhancements it says will meet the software development needs arising from trends such as virtualisation, cloud computing and parallelism.

Attempting to shed light on the forthcoming tools with a visit to the UK were Redmond-based Jason Zander, general manager for Visual Studio, and Matt Carter, group product manager in the same division. ZDNet UK caught up with them both at Microsoft's London headquarters in Victoria.

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Microsoft Would Still Do a Yahoo Search Deal

At Microsoft’s annual shareholder’s meeting today, CEO Steve Ballmer has put the kibosh on speculation that the company will resurrect its bid to acquire Yahoo. However, Ballmer did suggest that a search deal was possible.

Microsoft’s single-minded pursuit to acquire Yahoo never made much sense to me. Sure, it would obtain substantial search market shareover night, but it would still have to claw its way up to compete with Google. Even when the two companies are combined, Google still holds the upper hand in market share.

There is also a great deal of overlap between Microsoft and Yahoo products, and there would certainly be a culture clash among employees. Brain drain is another issue. If Microsoft were to buy Yahoo today, it would not be obtaining the talent that it would have just a few months back. It would also be costly to retain people–even its own employees, many of whom would be hesitant to spend their time at Microsoft getting caught up in turf wars.

A merger with Yahoo would distract Microsoft from important initiatives that are core to its future success, such as project Oslo, an multi-product effort to steer developers toward model driven development and service oriented architecture, as well as continued investment in the .NET Framework.

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Adobe accommodates Visual Studio, Eclipse

Adobe Systems at its Adobe Max 2008 conference Tuesday heralded a slew of new technologies, including links between its Flex application development platform and Microsoft's Visual Studio software development platform.

Also paraded at the conference was Flash Catalyst, an interactive design tool for building interfaces and interactive content without coding. The planned Bolt release of the ColdFusion IDE, featuring Eclipse capabilities, was touted as well.

In addition, two developments pertaining to Flex development support for Microsoft's .Net software development technology were unveiled.

"A partner of ours, called Ensemble, out of Vancouver, has created a Visual Studio plug-in called Tofino, which gives you Flex and MXML support," said Ben Forta, director of platform evangelism at Adobe, in an interview after the morning keynote presentation. Also, Adobe itself is working on a project to boost Flex development in .Net, featuring data services capabilities. That project is with Adobe Labs.

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Microsoft files suit to defend Visual Studio users

Microsoft filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in San Francisco last week, asking a judge to invalidate several patents that are the subject of infringement suits filed by WebXchange against three large companies over their use of Microsoft's Visual Studio development tools. The software vendor seeks to invalidate patents used to sue Allstate, Dell and FedEx.

Microsoft said in its lawsuit against WebXchange that the claims against Allstate Insurance Corp., Dell and FedEx relate to their use of Visual Studio. Microsoft added that by asking the court in San Francisco to declare WebXchange's patents invalid, it hopes to defend the three sued customers and spare other Visual Studio users from similar legal actions.

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Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 SP1

Microsoft has recentky launced the development tool support for Windows Cloud Computing - Windows Azure.

Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio extend Visual Studio to enable the creation, building, debugging, running and packaging of scalable services on Windows Azure.

Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio includes:

*C# and VB Project templates for building Cloud Services
*Integration with the Development Fabric and Development Storage services
*Debugging Cloud Service Roles running in the Development Fabric
*Building and packaging of Cloud Service Packages
*Browsing to the Azure Services Developer Portal
*Role configuration
*SSL Certificate selection

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