Visual Studio 2010 and The Ultimate Offer

Today Microsoft announcedthe availability of Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 to MSDN subscribers. Non MSDN Subscribers will have to wait until Oct-21 to get the beta. Beta 2 comes with a Go-Live license allowing you to begin using Visual Studio 2010 in production - including Team Foundation Server 2010.

With this announcement we unveiled the new product line-up:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN. The comprehensive suite of application life-cycle management tools for software teams to help ensure quality results from design to deployment
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN. A complete toolset to help developers deliver scalable, high-quality applications
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN. The essential tool for basic development tasks to assist developers in implementing their ideas easily
• Microsoft Visual Studio Test Elements with MSDN. The primary tool for manual and generalist testers who need to define and manage test cases, execute test runs and file bugs.
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010. The center of gravity for team development, enabling version control, work items tracking, build automation, and reporting.
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team Lab Management 2010. The tools to support virtual labs and enable better developer and tester collaboration when paired with other Visual Studio tools.

What happened to "Team System" you ask? We realized that by creating two Visual Studio brands - Visual Studio and Visual Studio Team System - we had created confusion over the difference between the two products. Visual Studio had been positioned and the basic tool for individual developers and Visual Studio Team System was positioned as the set of tools for development teams engaged in more formalized development with a defined process.

It turns out that nearly all professional developers work in teams small and large, and some use Visual Studio Professional and some use Visual Studio Team System. The consolidation of these two brands united the Visual Studio family as the best tools for development on the Windows platform. Period.

To support both teams using Visual Studio as an ALM solution and individuals currently using Visual SourceSafe and Subversion who would like to use Team Foundation Server we have decided to include Team Foundation Server 2010 in MSDN subscriptions that come with Visual Studio 2010 Professional, Premium and Ultimate as well as Test Elements. This is a full version of Team Foundation Server 2010 and is licensed for unlimited development and test use and one production deployment. We are also including a single CAL.

For teams who want to use Team Foundation Server but who don't have an MSDN subscription, we are changing the retail pricing of Team Foundation Server from around $3,000 USD to around $500 USD. The retail version will come with a EULA exception allowing up to five (5) named users without CALs. More users can be added by buying CALs for them.

We announced today that Visual Studio 2010 will launch on March 22, 2010, and we announced The Ultimate Offer. On March 22, 2010 all customers with an active MSDN Premium subscription will be transitioned up to the next product up the stack.

• Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Editions and Team Suite with MSDN Premium will transition up to Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN.
• Visual Studio Professional 2008 with MSDN Premium will transition up to Visual Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN.
• Visual Studio Professional 2008 with MSDN Professional will transition to Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN.

Here is a video of my boss, Dave Mendlen, discussing all of today's announcements:

More to come....

D7
 

Follow Visual Studio Team System on Twitter

Want to keep up on news from the Visual Studio Team System team? Want to get updates from live events and presentations? Want general pointers to valuable content? You can do so in real time by following MicrosoftVSTS on Twitter. Follow our account today at www.twitter.com/microsoftvsts.

Of course you can follow me too, but I’m not as exciting.

Technorati Tags: microsoft,vsts,twitter

Oracle Support Announced for Visual Studio Team System 2010 Development

Today it was announced Oracle support will be available for Visual Studio Team System 2010 Development through a Database Schema Provider (DSP).  Quest, a provider of Database Management Solutions, is developing the Oracle DSP for Visual Studio Team System.   For those working in heterogeneous database environments this is BIG news!

The Visual Studio Team System 2008 Database Edition GDR introduced a new product architecture that provides a model representation of a database schema and extensibility points to expand support for other database platforms.  Third parties can develop DSPs which implement models to expand the support for specific database platforms and versions.  Quest's Oracle DSP will add support to Team System Development for Oracle and will provide the following Oracle based database project features :

• Offline Schema Development

• Import Schema

• Schema Compare

• Data Generation and Unit Testing

• Refactoring

• and more...

Teams that have benefited by using Team System Database Edition to manage their Microsoft SQL Server database development will also be able to manage their Oracle database's with the same tool and process integration.

You can read more about Quest's upcoming DSP product here.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,VSTSDB,Quest,Oracle

User Group Session: A Lap Around Visual Studio Team System 2010

On Monday, 13-Oct I will be presenting a session at my local (and favorite) user group, the .NET Developers Association. For this session I will be providing a demo-filled tour of the next release of VSTS - Visual Studio Team System 2010. This is your chance to come and see some of what we will be showcasing at the upcoming PDC 2008 later this month.

Tell your friends, tell your boss (heck, maybe you'll get paid to come). One lucky attendee will walk away with a fully licensed copy of Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Suite.

 

A Lap Around Visual Studio Team System 2010

In this session you will witness a demo-intensive tour of the upcoming release of Visual Studio Team System. This session will walk-through an example development iteration and highlight some of the advancements, that way you see the new capabilities in context. Expect to see new capabilities being delivered across Team System, including the new Architecture Explorer, architecture layer diagrams, gated check-in, build workflow, branch visualization, historical debugging, test case management and execution, improved work item tracking, and improved support for agile planning. This will be a fast paced, exciting session, filled with demos.

Time and Location

Monday, 13-October, 7:00 PM (networking begins at 6:30 PM)

Microsoft Campus, Building 41, Steptoe Room
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&where1=Microsoft%20Building%2041%2C%20WA&encType=1

 

Technorati Tags: VSTS,Visual Studio Team System,VSTS 2010,User Group,Speaking,Microsoft

]inbetween[ - Microsoft Community Summit 2008

So what is it?  Basically, the Florida User Group Communities were asked what would they do with the Orlando Convention Center for a weekend?  What they came up with was a FREE weekend with loads with loads of great content.

One of our favorite Visual Studio Team System MVPs, Richard Hundhausen, is taking time to present on a variety of Visual Studio Team System topics during this (almost) full day event on Sunday, June 8th. He's got a five o'clock flight so expect this session to shut down around 2:30p. There's plenty of other stuff you can hop over to on the agenda.

Microsoft Community Summit 2008 ]inbetween[

Orlando Convention Center, June 7 and 8

More info :: http://www.devfish.net/articles/inbetween/default.aspx

New Team System White Papers Focus on Key Benefits

Seven (7) new white papers focused on the key benefits of Visual Studio Team System are now available in both Word and PDF format. The white papers expand on the seven key benefits outlined in the summary paper "Key Benefits of Microsoft Visual Studio Team System." These white papers are intended for Technical Decision Makers (TDM) and the Business Decision Makers (BDM), rather than the traditional developer audience.

The seven white papers are:

1. Communicate and Collaborate with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008
2. Drive Predictability with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008
3. Manage Team Workflow with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008
4. Use Familiar Tools with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008
5. Ensure Quality Early and Often with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008
6. Integrate Frequently with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008
7. Make Real-time Decisions with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008

 

These white papers have been published on MSDN and will be available to TechEd 2008 USA attendees on a USB key that will be given away on the show floor.

You can find the white papers in DOCX and PDF format here.

TechEd is Just Around the Corner (and I am working late)

TechEd 2008 Developers is less than two weeks away, and of course that means we are down to crunch time. I am a co-Track PM for three tracks - Developer Tools & Languages (TLA), Development Practices (DVP), and Windows & Frameworks (WIN). That makes up about 200 different pieces of content (sessions, chalk talks, pre-con's, hands-on-labs and instructor-led-labs).

We've done most of the dry-runs for the breakout sessions and this week and next we are doing dry runs of the pre-cons. The HOLs are on the servers and on a truck to Orlando, and I am wrapping up a couple extra tasks - the ALM & Development Practices booth, the sessions I will be the speaker for, and oh...a demo for the BillG keynote!

BillG's Keynote

As we speak I am putting some extra polish on one of the demos. I can't tell you about it, but I can tell you that I am pretty excited by it. I can't wait to see your reaction. Its amazing how much work goes into the keynote, and, as Brian mentions, how much of it really happens right at the end of the prep time. I have, with the help of a couple people, created the demo in a VPC as a proof-of-concept for the exec communications team. I've acquired two killer machines (primary and back-up), built up the final demo on the primary machine, demo'ed it again for the exec comm team, and had the primary machine imaged onto the backup machine. Now I am sitting here making a backup of the backup machine to a VPC using Acronis True Image. This is my first time trying this (physical to VPC backup), but all my cool and smart and geeky friends recommended it.

ALM & Development Practices Booth

The ALM & Development Practices booth will be cool. This year we are really making a splash with our ALM presence. You will see Visual Studio Team System everywhere. In the booth are we will have six (6) demo stations - one for each of the Visual Studio Team System client products (Architecture Edition, Development Edition, Database Edition, and Test Edition) as well as two demo stations for Team Foundation Server - one for Process & Project Management and one for Build & Version Control. We will have a bunch of cool people from the product teams there, so stop by (yes, we have some stuff to give away).

TechEd Online Panel Discussions

Here's two things to get on your schedule. I have organized two different VSTS/ALM panel discussions. The first is an ALM panel with all non-Microsoft'ies. Granted, they are all Visual Studio Team System MVP's - but trust me, they tell it like it is, whether its what I want to hear or not. The panel is Richard Hundhausen, Chris Menegay, Joel Semeniuk, Brian Randell, and Jeff Levenson, moderated by Steven Borg.

The second is all people from the product teams - including Sam Guckenheimer, our product planner. The panel will be moderated by Norman Guadagno who is the Director of Enterprise Development Marketing (and my boss).

Here's the important details:

Let's Talk Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 3:00 on the TechEd Online Stage.

Visual Studio Team System Panel - Meet the Team
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 9:00 AM on the TechEd Online Stage.

Session(s)

I will be doing one session at each TechEd this year (although in the first week my session will be repeated, so I will be doing it twice).

Build Better Software: Tips and Tools to Improve Your Applications - Doug Seven

You want to build better software. You want the applications you build to be better, cheaper, and faster to release. One of the most costly stages of software development is finding and fixing bugs. What if you could find the bugs and fix them nearly immediately? In this session, learn tips and tools you can use with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 to determine code complexity, validate the capabilities of the application, and understand the overall quality of the software you are building. If you want to improve the code you write then don’t miss this session.

Times:

1. Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 2:45 PM (see session guide for room number)
2. Friday, June 6, 2008 at 10:15 AM (see session guide for room number)

 

We will also have a couple sessions on Visual Studio Team System code name "Rosario" on Friday, June 6th. They are absolutely worth sticking around for.

Application Lifecycle Management with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System Code Name "Rosario" - Sam Guckenheimer

Learn about the future of Visual Studio Team System code name “Rosario” and how Microsoft is designing it to help you “build the right thing” and “build it right.” Those are the two key pillars of “Rosario” and are the focus of this session. It is difficult for executives and software teams to understand all of the projects underway, and how they support the business needs. Learn how “Rosario” will enable software teams to prioritize the right work, plan effectively, adjust projects effectively when needs change, and finally track progress and trace all metrics (progress, quality, etc.) back to business goals and customer requirements/scenarios. Additionally, testing and application quality is about detecting quality issues early in the cycle and fixing them, reducing project risk and defects, and ensuring the end product really works for end customers. Learn how “Rosario” will automate catching bugs, facilitate testing, and address other quality problems early and often throughout the cycle.

1. Friday, June 6, 2008 at 2:45 PM (see session guide for room number)

 

Microsoft Visual Studio Team System Code Name "Rosario" Architecture Edition -Peter Provost

How can you more quickly understand and evolve an application that you’ve never seen? How do you manipulate the existing architecture in light of new business requirements? How do you validate the logical architecture against existing patterns and design rules? Microsoft Visual Studio Team System Code Name "Rosario" Architecture Edition integrates logical modeling using UML-compliant diagrams and physical modeling using DSL diagrams with first-class support for .NET. Armed with the ability to see into the system’s code to quickly understand the context of necessary change, developers and architects can quickly identify the impact of a change. The ability to overlay metrics generated from other application lifecycle activities such as code analysis, profiling, testing etc. into these model diagrams will make these artifacts first-class citizens that are valued by both architects and developers.

1. Friday, June 6, 2008 at 10:15 AM (see session guide for room number)

 

During TechEd 2008 IT Professionals I will be giving the following talk:

End-to-End Application Lifecycle Management with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System - Doug Seven

Visual Studio Team System is a fully integrated application lifecycle management toolset, enabling teams to work more collaboratively to deliver quality software with fewer obstacles. In this demo intensive session, see how Visual Studio Team System 2008 enables project managers, architects, developers, and testers throughout the application lifecycle. See how Team System enables managing team workflow, system and datacenter modeling, tools to ensure quality from the earliest stages of development, as well as tools to validate applications prior to release.

1. Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 1:00 PM (see session guide for room number)

 

That's it for tonight. I look forward to meeting you at TechEd.

D7

Upcoming Events I am Speaking At

In March and April I am actually a bit busy espousing prolifically about topics near and dear to me. I have a couple internal Microsoft events I am speaking at - one to what we call our Inner Circle Partners, and the other to System Integrators. In both events I am speaking on Visual Studio Team System and Application Lifecycle Management. The topics I am covering internally include topics I am speaking on in public venues as well.

VSLive! San Francisco

At VSLive! in San Francisco, Stephanie Saad and I will be presenting the ALM and Development Process track during the Microsoft Day (Monday, March 31, 2008).

Here is the track detail:

VM1 A Lap Around Visual Studio Team System 2008
Stephanie Saad
10:15 a.m.
In this demo-intensive session you will be exposed to many of the new features in Visual Studio Team System 2008. This session cover everything from Team Foundation Server for project management, work item tracking, version control and build support, to integration with Microsoft Project and Excel, unit testing, code coverage and code metrics, database projects, to Web testing with AJAX support and the new user-pace load testing. You will leave with an understanding of how Visual Studio Team System 2008 can be your organization’s Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solution, and enable you and your team to collaborate and communicate to ensure software quality and provide visibility into the development process.

VM4 Improving Team Development
Doug Seven
11:45 a.m.
Do you build software alone? In today's world, software development is done by increasingly larger teams made of people with different skill sets, including project planning, functional definition, development and testing. As teams grow larger there is a greater need for tools to enable the communication and collaboration that is necessary to deliver high quality software effectively. In this session you will learn how to function as a collaborative team using Visual Studio Team System 2008, including process templates, work item tracking, version control, and reporting. Whether you are team that values Agile process, one that prefers CMMI, or any other process, this session will apply to you.

VM7 Create Better Software
Doug Seven
3:00 p.m.
You want to ship better software. Ultimately you measure your success by determining the quality bar that is acceptable, and the risk mitigation that is appropriate for your project or organization. While some projects require high, stringent quality levels, others can be more forgiving. In either case, you want to ensure your software meets and exceeds its quality bar, and all risks are addressed as needed. In this session you will learn about the quality assurance benefits of Visual Studio Team System 2008, including unit testing, code coverage & metrics, performance profiling, Web testing and load testing (including AJAX support).

VM10 The Future of Application Lifecycle Management from Microsoft
Stephanie Saad
4:30 p.m.
We are well underway developing the next release of Visual Studio Team System, code name "Rosario." In the next release, you and your team will benefit from enhanced communication and collaboration that enables you to match your development efforts with the needs of your business. Your team will benefit from improvements in work item tracking, dependency identification, historical debugging, test impact analysis, stand-alone debugging, and the addition of a stand-alone manual test runner enabling you to extend out your testing efforts easily. This session will include demos of some of the key improvements in Visual Studio Team System that are planned for the Rosario release.

I would love to see you there and get a chance to chat.

Irish Microsoft Technology Conference, Dublin, Ireland

The day after I hop a plane and fly to Dublin, Ireland for the Irish Microsoft Technology Conference (IMTC), a 2-day conference run by the developer community in Ireland that is supported/sponsored by Microsoft DPE Ireland. I am very excited about this event. This is a combination technical event and one of our worldwide launch events (Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008).

Here are my sessions:

15:15 - 16:30 Reach End Users With Next Generation Web Applications (Doug Seven)
Reach End-Users With Next Generation Web Applications is presented by Doug Seven

10:00 - 11:15 A Lap Around Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 (Doug Seven)
In this demo-intensive session you will be exposed to many of the new features in Visual Studio Team System 2008.

15:15 - 16:30 Improving Team Development with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 (Doug Seven)
Do you build software alone?

11:30 - 12:45 Breakthrough Software Development Challenges with Visual Studio 2008 (Doug Seven)
Explore all the new Visual Studio 2008 features!

If you can make it to this one...you can buy me a pint :)

I think I get to lay low for the rest of April and May (unless I go to Visual Studio Connections in late April).

TechEd 2008 Developers Conference

From June 3rd - 6th I will be at the TechEd 2008 Developers Conference (OK, I will be in Orlando from May 31st - June 14th, for both the Developers and the IT Professionals Conferences...but I digress). I am only presenting one session because I am also the Co-Track PM for three tracks (along with Erika, who also has a fourth track). That should keep me pretty busy...if you see me and I look like a zombie...buy me a triple grande nonfat latte...it will make my day!

Here is my one session:

Build Better Software: Tips and Tools to Improve Your Applications
You want to build better software. You want the applications you build to be better, cheaper, and faster to release. One of the most costly stages of software development is finding and fixing bugs. What if you could find the bugs and fix them nearly immediately? In this session, learn tips and tools you can use with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 to determine code complexity, validate the capabilities of the application, and understand the overall quality of the software you are building. If you want to improve the code you write then don’t miss this session.

The date and time are TBD.

OK...that's enough to keep me busy for a while. I hope to see you at one or more of these events.

D7