"Julie" <ju***@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:41***************@nospam.com...
Scott Allen wrote:
VS2005 is not a 're-write'. Like all non-trivial software, 2003 does
have defects, but is not 'so buggy' that all this time is spent fixing
bugs.You should download the beta and give it a try. Perhaps you could
find one or two new little features.
Ok, I guess I left off one additional option:
Are there so many new features that it will be essentially a new product?
It has to be one of those three choices -- considering the MS software
track
record, none are a good sign:
1) Is it that different from the current version that it is essentially a
re-write?
- Not good: MS first releases are bad news
No, it is not a re-write.
2) Was 03 so buggy that it has taken this long to fix it?
- Not good: we paid for and are using a very bad product
There are few things I consider substantial bugs in VS2003, although the big
one(file locking bug) should be fixed in 2005.
It isn't about fixes either.
3) Are there so many new features that it will be essentially a new
product?
- Not good: MS first releases of new features are bad news
It isn't so large that it is essentially a new product, this isn't a 6.0 to
2002 type jump. However there are substantial enhancements to the IDE:
* It's based on a new version of the .NET framework, 2.0. Which adds quite a
few new features, both runtime wise(generics & EnC) and class wise.
* Refactoring(C# mostly, though vb is supposed to get some from what I hear)
* New lanaguage constructs(C# gets generics, iterators, partial classes, and
anonymous methods. VB get generics, partial classes, and the my namespace,
probably others I'm forgetting. MC++ is getting a complete overhaul, forming
an entirely new managed syntax).
* VB gets edit and continue
* The build and project system is being replaced.
* Window docking, etc is easier, no more moving hte mouse at random trying
to get a tool window to dock in the right place in teh damn IDE
* A new formatting system for code allowing users to format code much more
to their liking.
It is a considerable upgrade, however thus far it is one worth it. Its in
beta 1 now and I would probably rate it at better than 2002 as far as
stability and usability go.
There are the express version betas you can try, I don't know how limited
they are as I havn't tried them. But it will certainly give you a little
information about what to expect as far as new features go.
Honestly, I'm scared -- I think that 05 is going to be another 02, and
cost me
another $1200+.
I wish MS would get in the habit of releasing fixes/service packs for
their dev
environments on a regular basis.
Service packs are nice, but pre-2005 I have to say they are less relevent.
Frankly, the 2002 and 2003 products, while nice, just weren't the gold
standard vs should be. I do expect patches to some extent and I realize that
people are going to be stuck using both for a while to come(especially since
even 2005 doesn't appear to be able to use multiple versions of the
framework well), but I can't think of much that *needs* to be fixed in
either that is appropriate for a service pack. The framework needs service
packs and I am disappointed at the rate framework patches are coming out.
As I said, the only major bug I know of in VS2003 is the file locking bug,
which by all accounts is a substantial change to fix(unfortunatly I don't
think we'll ever see a fix for it). There are some smaller ones, none of
which really affect my usage, and there are certainly some really bad design
decisions, but service packs aren't supposed to change designs or add new
features(unless security is comprimised without new functionality), just fix
bugs. So if you want a better html editor, intellisense, compiler, or what
have you a new product is almost always the way to go.
