Microsoft SharePoint 2010: 20 Reasons Developers Are Excited

by Darryl K. Taft

With Microsoft SharePoint 2010, developers can compile, debug and test in one of the most widely used development tools out there—Visual Studio.

By using SharePoint 2010, developers can deploy custom code on-premises or into the cloud using Sandbox Solution technology.

Developers can take advantage of the power of SharePoint in other applications using industry standards such as Web Services and Representational State Transfer (REST).

Developers can build rich business applications and use prebuilt SharePoint components to get it in users’ hands as quickly as possible.

Developers can connect to and use line-of-business systems using SharePoint’s Business Connectivity Services simply and easily.

Needless to say, developers can benefit from SharePoint’s deep integration with Microsoft Office 2010, including backstage integration and document life cycle management.

Microsoft Visio 2010 advanced diagramming tools help you simplify complexity with dynamic, data-driven visuals and new ways to share on the Web in real time. And developers can build visual mashups using Visio Services.

SharePoint Server 2010 features support for Language-Integrated Query (LINQ), to help developers rapidly build applications on the SharePoint platform.

Developers gain the ability to automate and streamline business processes with SharePoint’s powerful workflow engine. Business users can model the workflow in Visio and have the developer build it out further in SharePoint Designer or Visual Studio.

In addition, developers can build fully branded and highly customized public-facing Internet sites with SharePoint’s Web Content Management engine.

Developers can integrate custom applications right into Office and SharePoint to offer users a highly productive work environment.

With SharePoint 2010, developers can build insightful business intelligence dashboards using Performance Point Services in SharePoint.

SharePoint Server 2010 provides a Developer Dashboard.

Microsoft enables developers to use the power of Silverlight to deliver rich user interfaces with the power of SharePoint behind them.

Social tagging helps people communicate and share information. Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 includes social computing tools such as My Site Websites and social content technologies such as blogs, wikis and RSS.

Developers can deliver SharePoint apps that enable users to quickly identify, collect and preserve content throughout SharePoint for legal discovery.

Developers can use SharePoint Designer 2010 to get a quick start on SharePoint development projects. Using SharePoint Designer, you can rapidly create SharePoint solutions in response to business needs. Developers can compose no-code solutions that encompass a variety of common scenarios, from collaborative sites and Web publishing to line-of-business data integration, business intelligence solutions and human workflows, all leveraging the building blocks available in SharePoint.

Developers can use Web Parts to add new functionality to SharePoint sites. SharePoint enables developers to add a Web Part to any page, and the new functionality will appear when the page is displayed.

Developers can install SharePoint 2010 on Microsoft Windows 7, making it easier than ever to develop SharePoint applications.

The Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Software Development Kit (SDK) is available online and as a download. The SharePoint 2010 Reference: Software Development Kit download includes IntelliSense files and numerous additional code samples. The SDK includes documentation and code samples for Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 and for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, which builds upon the SharePoint Foundation 2010 infrastructure.