VS2005 has launched. Now what?

You haven't been living in a cave, so you know by now that Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 have officially launched. You probably don't have your hands on a shiny new CD yet (unless you were fortunate enough to attend one of the official launch events), but the release bits are available for MSDN subscribers to download. Even if you opt to wait for physical media, it won't be long before you can install the new software on your very own computer. But then what? With new releases of this magnitude, you need to have a plan to move forward in an orderly fashion. Here are my top five suggestions for riding the new software wave while taking minim

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al risks.

Microsoft is going to be making a huge big deal of the VS2005 and SQL2005 launch - and well they should. These are huge, significant pieces of software. But don't let the hoopla push you into doing something that you'll later regret. When you get the giant download or the spiffy new DVDs ready to install, take a few minutes to think things through. Your life will be much simpler for exercising a bit of caution up front.

Mike Gunderloy is the Senior Technology Partner for Adaptive Strategy, a Washington State consulting firm. You can read more of Mike's work at his Larkware Web site, or contact him at MikeG1@larkfarm.com.