Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 English

Microsoft's .NET tools are very different from their predecessors. Visual C++ can still compile standard Windows executables, but the other languages all target the .NET Framework, a runtime engine and class library that manages memory and enforces security. Framework applications perform well, since they are compiled to native code at runtime, but there is an overhead in terms of memory usage and the Framework runtime must be installed. In compensation, .NET brings many advantages. All the languages are fully object-oriented, the class library is rich, and XML support is deeply integrated. ASP.NET is for web applications, and represents a large advance on the old ASP. Instead of script, ASP.NET supports any of the .NET languages, running on the server and just-in-time compiled to native code. There is a visual web page designer, and carefully designed applications support a wide range of browsers. A new feature in this version of Visual Studio is Mobile Web Forms, which use adaptive rendering to support the browsers in mobile phones and PDAs.

The database technology in Visual Studio is called ADO.NET. It uses a disconnected model, which means that applications work with data locally, only contacting the server for data transfer or update. It's a good model for laptops, smart devices, and wide area networks, but there's a lot to learn for those skilled in older database APIs.

The Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 edition represents the best value in the range. There's no Visual SourceSafe or Visio diagramming, and it lacks the server licences found in the high-end Enterprise editions, but it's otherwise a fully comprehensive package.

For those wondering whether to make the jump to .NET, this release is probably the right moment to go ahead. The technology is maturing, and the inclusion of the Compact Framework makes the package more compelling. Students and newcomers to programming will welcome the clean object-orientation in C#, and the deep XML support on offer is essential for enterprise applications or integrating with other platforms. It's still important to note the heavy system requirements, and that .NET applications do not run on Windows 95. In most cases, the higher productivity of .NET languages soon pays for any additional resources. --Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com Product Description
Visual Studio .NET 2003 Professional enables you to rapidly build a broad range of applications for Microsoft Windows, the Web, and mobile devices. Developers can use 2003 Professional to build professional software, reduce IT operating costs, and integrate with a wide range of applications, systems, and devices.

Extending visual design capabilities to the server is easier than ever with Visual Studio .NET 2003. The Component Designer provides a canvas for building and instantiating business logic components using the familiar drag-and-drop paradigm. In addition, the Server Explorer delivers direct access to server-side resources, including databases, message queues, event logs, Windows Services, Crystal Reports, and performance counters.

Visual Basic .NET 2003 delivers the most productive route to professional application development. Familiar Visual Basic syntax, expressive coding constructs, a powerful background compiler, and unsurpassed support for productivity within the code editor enable you to crank out software in record time. The fully modernized Visual Basic language supports Structured Exception Handling and optional power features including object-oriented constructs and multi-threading.

Because everything can be developed in more or less the same way as an ASP.NET app, we were able to offer clients more solutions for their buck. We now offer desktop and mobile solutions as well as what we offered before!

The learning curve can be somewhat steep, but once you learn to do most things, everything will become a breeze.


Good, but not Great   November 25, 2003
17 out of 23 found this review helpful

To put simple, this product is good, but it's not great. The true biggest problem is the complexity and learning curve. If your migrating from DevStudio, then you'll have a heck of a time learning the new environment and set up. But once you learn how to use it (which will take a while), it's much better than DevStudio, and the new languages are definately worth it.


Why would I buy this?   November 8, 2003
19 out of 70 found this review helpful

Can someone please explain why I would buy .Net Pro when the MSDN Pro subscription is cheaper and comes with much more? Frankly, both of them see highly overpriced. They should pay me to develop for their platform.


STEP BACKWARDS but has bells and whistles   September 13, 2003
Crawford Leitch (burbank, CA USA)
29 out of 35 found this review helpful

I used Visual Studio 6 / Visual Interdev a lot and found it very good. I'm a decent VB programmer so I created several apps and managed our corporate website /sub webs with it too. I could do all that my business group needed. VS.NET 2003 has just made all that a lot, lot harder for not much gain. Aside from learning the new languages VB.NET and C# which I don't really mind the new asp.net and web site development is horrendous for people who do it all themselves. It was a lot simpler before. First time you try to delete a test project you won't find a delete option or anything in the help about it. It turns out you need to use explorer to delete the files and IIS to remove the virtual site. Why would they do that? In short the gains are mainly for the big enterprise users with 2003 servers running IIS6. $$$. Very disappointing really and I really like Microsoft stuff. Microsoft SQL server is fantastic for instance. Good luck and be prepared to study...