Microsoft has begun sharing information about the next version of Visual Studio, which will apparently be named Visual Studio 2010. Some of the press releases and videos the company has put out are already giving us a taste of the new features in Visual Studio 2010, and they look pretty interesting.
The name "Visual Studio 2010" probably identifies an approximate time frame for its release, though it's entirely possible it will make its formal debut late in 2009, just as Visual Studio 2008 came out in November 2007.
On September 29, 2008, Microsoft began its unveiling process for Visual Studio Team Studio (VSTS) 2010, code-named "Rosario," and the .NET Framework 4.0 that will accompany that release. Microsoft PressPass offers a reasonably lengthy and detailed press release on this subject, and there's even a Web page entitled "Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework Overview" in the Visual Studio 2008 Development System pages on MSDN.
What new features in Visual Studio 2010 can we glean from this information, beyond the usual breathless hoopla that invariably accompanies this kind of "coming attractions" announcement? Basically, what emerges from this information can be summarized in two statements:
From the way in which Microsoft explains itself in these various formats, and their announced plans to flesh out more details and strategy in the months ahead, it looks like the company plans to take its time and tell this story in monthly installments at a considerable level of detail. This should be interesting to follow.
The Shape of Things to Come
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Catchphrases and rhetoric aside, Microsoft leavens these materials with diagrams and screenshots to show developers what some of the new features in Visual Studio 2010 will look like. There's a nifty-looking bubble diagram display called "Architecture Explorer" that is designed to permit browsing, discovery and examination of code assets and application architectures. There's also considerable discussion of testing improvements designed to help capture, document and repair bugs that are difficult to reproduce. To that end, Microsoft shows off some screen shots of tools designed to manage test cases, track test execution and file actionable bugs as part of VSTS 2010. MSDN subscribers will also get the chance to start messing with these tools right away, as Microsoft promises availability as of October 1, 2008.
Foreshadowing New Components and Capabilities
Microsoft has also prepared a set of "Visual Studio 2010 in Action" videos on Channel 9 so that interested developers can see Microsoft professionals put the new features in Visual Studio 2010 to work. Microsoft also offers three different sets of technical information about the new environment:
As I'm sure Microsoft intended, this all sounds pretty interesting. It should be equally interesting to see if the tools as described here work as desired when put into developers' hands.
Ed Tittel is a writer and trainer whose interests include XML and development topics, along with IT Certification and information security. Email him with comments, questions, or suggested topics or tools to review. Cool tools rule!
