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REDMOND, Wash.—Microsoft has released a new version of its software development kit for Visual Studio 2005, the last release that will focus on Visual Studio 2005, also known as Whidbey.
The next version of the SDK will target Microsofts next version of Visual Studio, according to Joe Marini, director of the Microsoft VSIP (Visual Studio Industry Partner) program. Microsoft released the new version of the SDK on March 1.
Version 4 of the SDK “takes the Visual Studio SDK and makes it easier for people to start building integrations into Visual Studio,” Marini said. And it “provides a more broad set of capabilities focused on commercial ISVs.”
With Version 4, the SDK is “more approachable to new users, such as academics or community developers,” said Rob Brigham, program manager for the Visual Studio SDK.
Because a lot of new people are beginning to use the SDK, the new version includes Visual Studio SDK QuickStart tutorials to walk users through wizards and create extension projects, Brigham said.
Microsoft has also added a new SDK browser feature—a portal for SDK users to access online content, Brigham said. And there is a package load analyzer, which is a debugging tool for creating Visual Studio extensions; a control toolbox installer; updated setup; IronPython Web site and Web Application Project sample improvements; and more, he said.
Microsoft offers users help getting started with the new SDK as well as a broad-based tutorial with samples, tools and community content such as news and blogs, said James Lau, a program manager on the Visual Studio team.
“At the end of the day, this enables Visual Studio developers to be more productive,” said Shawn Nandi, a lead product manager on the Visual Studio partner team.
The VSIP program has more than 210 partners that have created over 1,200 plug-ins for Visual Studio, Marini said. The overall VSIP community features more than 50,000 developers, he said.
“Weve seen strong growth in the ecosystem, and a lot of the growth comes from the community,” Marini said.