By Greg DeMichillie [bio]
Posted: Oct. 31, 2005                            Purchase a copy of this 40 page report

Below is an excerpt of a Research Report published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. More samples of our content, as well as a list of upcoming articles and reports are also available.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary [Free]

Explains how Visual Studio 2005 removes many barriers to .NET platform adoption, exploits new capabilities in SQL Server 2005, and helps developers, testers, and project managers be more productive and work better together as a team

Introduction [Free]

Visual Studio 2005 is the most significant release of Microsoft's flagship developer tools since the introduction of Visual Studio .NET in 2002

VS 2005 Renews Pitch for Developers

Visual Studio 2005 contains significant improvements across the product, most of which are designed to address limitations that kept developers from switching from older Microsoft tools

ASP.NET 2.0 Simplifies Web Development

Current users will find ASP.NET 2.0 to be a 'no-brainer' upgrade, substantially reducing the custom code they must write, and holdouts may find it tempting enough to take the plunge

Data Access Improvements Aimed at SQL [Free]

Visual Studio 2005's integration features and better tools for building database applications could help developers take advantage of SQL Server 2005

Team System Targets Multiple Roles

Visual Studio Team System includes many team features previously left to third parties, and its integration with the rest of Visual Studio makes it worth a look

VSTS Checks in New Source Control

Visual Studio Team System includes a new source-code control system that addresses weaknesses that kept Visual SourceSafe from being used by large ISVs and enterprise developers

Project Management Comes to Visual Studio [Free]

Visual Studio Team System will help project managers collect and analyze information on the status of their development projects and provide an extensible set of software development methodologies

Visual Studio, Modeling, and DSI

Visual Studio Team System aims to help customers build and deploy IT applications by giving developers graphical tools to create models of their Web applications and data centers

Major Changes in Licensing

Visual Studio Team System prices show that Microsoft is aiming to undercut high-end competitors, such as IBM/Rational, but Team System still may be too expensive for small teams

Resources

Links and pointers to additional information about Visual Studio 2005 and Team System, SQL Server 2005, and ASP.NET 2.0