Visual Studio 2005 released Nov. 7

[hpn]

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/

VS Express Editions (http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/default.aspx) is free ;)

More info here (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27537) and here (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27538)

[stax76]

Thanks, currently downloading at 18 KB/sec. After working with the beta version since April on my application, I can finally make a first public release. :)

[dragongodz]

VS Express Editions is free
for 1 year to be exact.

11. You said “free for one year” — what does that mean, exactly? Will you be charging for this later?

We originally announced pricing of Visual Studio Express at US$49. We are now offering Visual Studio Express for free, as a limited-in-time promotional offer, until November 6, 2006.

12. Do customers who acquire the Visual Studio Express products during the free promotional pricing period have to pay after the first year if they want to continue to use them?

If you acquire Visual Studio Express products within the one-year promotional period, you will enjoy the rights granted in the applicable license at no cost for the term of that license.

[stax76]

Those one year offers appear to become trendy, currently using VMWare and Babylon with such a license.

[int 21h]

for 1 year to be exact.

Its strange, but on another page, the same question has a different answer:


12. Do customers who acquire the Visual Studio Express products during the free promotional pricing period have to pay after the first year if they want to continue to use them?


No, as long as you download Visual Studio Express on or before November 7th 2006, you will not have to pay for it.


That seems to say your license lasts forever as long as you get the license before Nov. 7th, 2006.

[Sirber]

Getting it. I have some projects to learn C# :)

[Eretria-chan]

I have no idea about these released versions, but the betas were buggy as hell. Are these buggy as hell too? Even msvc 2003/2002 is buggy.

[stax76]

I have no idea about these released versions, but the betas were buggy as hell. Are these buggy as hell too?

Hadn't much problems with VS 2003 or VS 2005 beta 2 or final. In beta 2 a couple of times my event handlers were detached (handles keyword disappeared). I quickly found out it doesn't happen if I switch to the code editor before I start to debug. Also having designers open made the debug startup increasingly slow, speed comes back closing the designers. I few times the IDE crashed e.g. do not try to assign to the ImageList property in the ctor of a TreeView when subclassing. I've learned (the hard way) to save every once in a while when the code doesn't compile.

[dragongodz]

Its strange, but on another page, the same question has a different answer:
yes they have changed the answer. i am guessing they got a lot of emails saying "well is that a yes or a no ???". :D

i just noticed aswell that if you go the online install route you have to register to get your key to activate each package. also note that if you want to install it on a different pc you have to get another key for that aswell as the key is locked to the pc you register it with... if you follow.

from the "download now" page for express c++
3. Register

Why register? You’ll need to get your registration key.

however if you download the full package, meaning cd images, a registraion key is not needed.

from the registration f.a.q.
7. I want to download and install an Express Edition on a computer that does not have Internet access. What can I do?

If you need to install and use an Express Edition on a computer that is not connected to the Internet, you will need to create an installation CD using the CD ISO (IMG) files that are available on the Express site. The installation CD you create will then allow you to install an Express Edition on a computer that is not connected to the Internet, and that Express Edition will not require a registration key for continued usage.

so i think i will download the c++ image incase i want or need to use it later and not have to mess about making a passport account etc etc etc. :D

[Sirber]

Quick link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/support/install/

[mpucoder]

Well that's good to know, as I downloaded the C++ img and then read I needed an MSN passport to register - so there it sat. But now that I know it will install from cd without registering I'm happy.

[int 21h]

Stupid passport is a requirement of the MSDN :-| So I don't have any way to avoid it...

I haven't had much of a problem with VS2005 crashes for the most part, I've had it crash once or twice when I've done something utterly ridiculous causing my program that is being debugged to take down the IDE with it, which admittedly, the IDE should be able to handle...

One of my co-workers seems to crash the IDE at least once a day, but he does strange things... drops half-defined custom controls on the toolbox, tries to use them.. crash. Rinse & Repeat.