Developer Productivity Improvements |
Revolutionary Data Access Model | What is it? - LINQ provides developers with a declarative programming technology to access data sources
- Support of SQL databases, XML files, or native object collection in VB and C# projects
- New Dataset Designer supporting hierarchical data sets
- LINQ code IntelliSense
| Why should I care? - LINQ reduces complexity for developers and help boost their productivity
- Developers don't need to learn specialized query languages to access data
- Developers can tell the compiler ‘what’ they want instead of spending time on ‘how’ to get it
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Business Logic Development | - Built in programming model, engine and tools for developing business logic using WF
- Workflow designer, project templates and a workflow debugger
- You can model both machine and human processes
- You can expose and consume WCF web services from inside your workflow
| - You can model real-world business process in your software
- You don’t need to write your own, custom workflow engines
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Multi-Targeting | - Developers can select .NET 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5 at any time during the development process
- Visual Studio adjusts project templates, available DLLs, and IntelliSense to match the version of the framework you choose to target
| - You can gradually adopt the latest platform without forcing your users to upgrade
- You can use one tool to work on applications that run on different .NET Framework versions
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Test Driven Development Tools | - Write unit tests to ensure the validity of your code
- Bind data to your unit tests, including CSV and XML file
| - You can apply Test Driven Development methodologies to deliver high quality applications and reduce time-to-market
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Windows, Office, and Mobile Development Tools |
Build Stunning Applications | What is it? - WPF makes it much easier to build content-driven and media-rich applications
- You can incorporate WPF into existing Windows Forms applications
- ClickOnce enables you to deploy your WPF applications over the Web
| Why should I care? - You can incorporate media and vector graphics to enable stunning new user experiences
- Developers can readily leverage secure, reliable deployment options
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Build Office-Based Applications | - Visual Designers for Ribbon, custom task panes, outlook form region, and new wizards.
- Workflow & Microsoft SharePoint support
- ClickOnce enables you to deploy your VSTO applications over the Web
| - You can more easily create Office-based applications
- You can speed up Outlook form region design and configuration process
- You can leverage SharePoint workflows and gain access to enterprise third-party back-end data repositories such as SAP and Siebel
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Mobile Applications | - Visual Studio Tools for device now incorporates unit testing, and Device Emulator 3.0
- Mobile project support LINQ, WCF, CLR Profiler / Performance Monitor, and BCL enhancements
| - Developers can focus on the mobile application functionality and not worry about the different identities, connection methods, or storage models required
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Web Applications and Service |
Employ the Latest Web User Interface Techniques | What is it? - Integrated Silverlight support
- Improved JavaScript and ASP.NET AJAX support (Intellisense and debugging)
| Why should I care? - Build richer, more interactive, more personalized web experiences.
- Increase your productivity by learning fewer concepts, and writing fewer lines of code
- Spend less time authoring, debuging, and maintaining
- Design and development can be conducted collaboratively
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Design Web Applications | - VS 2008 now uses the same Web Designer that ships with the new Expression Web product
- Split view editing, to see both the HTML source and the Design View at the same-time
- Nested master pages to enable design layout inheritance between your Web pages
- (Cascading Style Sheets) CSS Style manager to select a CSS style sheets
| - Use an intuitive Web Designer to build Web interfaces more easily
- Change the layout of an entire website with minimal code changes
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Build Connected Applications | - Built in tools for implementing communications software with WCF
- Support for a wide array of transports and protocols including SOAP
- Improved support for standards including REST and JSON
| - WCF is easier to use and better integrates with Web services
- When building a service, you don’t need to write hosting code or deploy to IIS
- You don’t need to develop a client to test your service code – WCF
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Collaboration |
Improve Team Collaboration | What is it? - Connect to Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server using Team Explorer*
- Collaborate with users of the Visual Studio 2008 products
| Why should I care? - Your team can work more effectively and manage change
- Team members using Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition can collaborate more easily with team members using Visual Studio Team System 2008 products
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Improve Collaboration with the Web Designer | - XAML is automatically generated by the design tool the designer uses; XAML is then consumed by the developer
- Since VS 2008, the workflow is two-way, the developer being able to start the process
| - Designers and developers can work iteratively and simultaneously rather than sequentially
- Designers and developers can be more productive and work in a more agile way
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