eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Several Microsoft Corp. partners announced support for the new version of Microsofts flagship application development environment.
Microsoft Thursday officially announced the availability of Visual Studio .Net 2003, along with the availability of version 1.1 of the .Net Framework added into new Windows Server 2003 operating system. (See eWEEK Labs Walk-Through of Visual Studio .Net 2003.)
Partners such as LogicLibrary Inc., Pittsburgh, announced support for the new platform via an add-in that enables users to launch LogicLibrarys Logidex software development asset mapping and discovery engine directly from Visual Studio .Net 2003. More than 50 other independent software vendors also announced support for the new Microsoft development platform.
Artinsoft Inc., San Jose, Costa Rica, announced two new consulting service offerings to help users convert Java-based applications to the Microsoft .Net Framework and Visual Studio .Net 2003. The new ArtinSoft consulting service offerings enable customers to convert applications written in Visual J++ 6.0-to-Visual Studio .NET 2003, Java Server Pages (JSP)-to-ASP.NET, Java-to-Visual C# .NET or Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE)-to-Visual Studio .NET 2003 and the .NET Framework, the company said.
Infragistics Inc., East Windsor, N.J., announced that its NetAdvantage 2003 toolset of presentation layer components are compatible with Visual Studio .Net 2003 and the .Net Framework 1.1
Compuware Corp., Farmington Hills, Mich., announced that its DevPartner development products will be integrated with the new Microsoft integrated development engine (IDE).
Wise Solutions Inc., Plymouth, Mich., announced the availability of its version 5 for Visual Studio .Net 2003 application installation and management software.
NetManage Inc., Cupertino, Calif., announced its plans to integrate its OnWeb host integration software with the .Net Framework.
ClientSoft Inc., Miami, announced that its ClientSoft ServiceBuilder Web services integration software would support Visual Studio .Net 2003.
Page 2
Borland Software Corp., Scotts Hill, Calif., announced the integration of its requirements definition and management system, CaliberRM, with the new Microsoft IDE. CaliberRM is targeted at team collaboration and is a key part of Borlands application lifecycle management strategy.
Borland earlier this week announced its overall application lifecycle management strategy for the .Net Framework, including a new development solution for C# developers targeted at bridging the gap between the .Net Framework, Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).
The Borland strategy features Borland products to cover the definition, design, development, testing, deployment and management stages of software development. Borland CaliberRM addresses the definition phase; Borland Together ControlCenter addresses the design phase; Borland C#Builder for the Microsoft .Net Framework addresses the development phase; Optimizeit profiler for the Microsoft .Net Framework addresses the test phase; Windows Server 2003 serves as the deployment platform and Borland StarTeam is the management solution in the strategy.
“C#Builder gives Borland a complete integrated platform play so that developers can use one toolset when developing across platforms,” said Sam Patterson, chief executive of ComponentSource Inc., Atlanta. “If you consider that most large organizations will use multiple platforms, Borland is clearly offering solutions for real-world development. The unique benefit here is interoperability. Moreover, developers need choice. C#Builder will put pressure on Microsoft to keep innovating on Visual Studio.”
The new version of Visual Studio also features new support for devices, via the .Net Compact Framework, which enables developers to create applications for a range of mobile and wireless devices, the company said.
Page 3
Microsoft also announced enhancements to its Visual Studio .Net Integration Program (VSIP) and .Net Component Builder Program, as well as enhancements to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) to make it easier and faster for developers to find resources. New MSDN features include five new Developer Centers including ones for the .Net Framework, Visual Basic and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds.
Steve Lasker, the Dallas-based national director of research and development for Immedient Corp., lauded the new platforms Web services support.
“If we consider XML Web services as the ubiquitous communications protocol for applications to exchange business level data, then Windows Server 2003 with .Net 1.1 is the primary platform to host these applications,” he said.
Stephen Forte, chief technology officer at Corzen Inc. in New York, added: “The Framework is the code that hosts and executes your Web services and ASP.Net code—or any other .Net code. So the developer gains a lot less headache.”
VS .Net 2003 comes in three versions: Professional, Enterprise Developer and Enterprise Architect and costs $1,079, $1,799 and $2,499 respectively. Upgrades go for $549, $1,079 and $1,799 respectively.
Latest Microsoft News:
Search for more stories by Darryl Taft.