A match made in developer heaven.
With Visual Studio 2008, you can easily use your development skills to target Windows, the world’s most widely used operating system. Integrate peripherals, local storage, and heterogeneous systems to deliver differentiated applications—and combine the performance of the rich client with the best of the Web.
Features & Benefits
Performance as powerful as your imagination
Leverage local storage and local resources such as peripherals for high-performance and occasionally-connected applications.
Create data-driven applications with ease
Through LINQ, perform query, set, and transform operations using familiar object-oriented languages like Visual C# and Visual Basic.
Deliver the best of Windows and the Web
Create client applications that utilize Web services—or create offline tools that are complementary to Web-based applications.
Do less grunt work
The .NET Framework provides a huge variety of pre-built services and classes that help you work more efficiently.
Know it now
Intellisense makes you more efficient, providing inline code guidance right there in the editor—no more paging back and forth to documentation.
Easily create rich user experiences
Collaborate more effectively and efficiently with designers through integration between Visual Studio and Microsoft Expression.
Take quality to a new level
Use integrated debugging and static code analysis* to improve quality early and often.
* Static code analysis is available in Visual Studio 2008 Team System Team Developer Edition and Team Suite.
Stuff You Need
Access new Windows 7 features (and some related Windows Vista features found in Windows 7) from managed code.
Tons of tools, libraries, documentation, and more to help you develop applications for Windows 7.
If hardware is your thing, get the right WDK, a fully integrated driver development system that contains the Windows Driver Device Kit (DDK) and tests for stability and reliability of Windows drivers.
Immerse yourself in the Windows 7 features and technologies that will support you to create the next generation of groundbreaking applications.
Learn how to use this streamlined subset of the .NET Framework 3.5 to support rapid deployment of client applications.
More downloads and rich support for Windows developers.
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Stand out from the crowd
The Web is one of the most exciting—and competitive—platforms for software development today. Pull away from the pack in every respect—visual design, user experience, performance, and utility—and get your applications out there faster with Visual Studio 2008.
Features & Benefits
Enhance form and function
Use Microsoft Silverlight, a standardized, cross-platform presentation layer to deliver user experiences that combine visual excitement with powerful functionality.
Use the latest technologies
More easily deploy AJAX with Intellisense and inline debugging for JavaScript.
Watch what you’re doing
Use split-window XML and CSS designers to see the effects of code changes on the visual experience, immediately in the designer.
Tame CSS
Examine CSS dependencies down to individual objects with the intuitive CSS Properties and Manage Styles tools.
Fear no wireframe
ASP.NET provides services and classes that make managing complex Web sites and applications easy, such as Master Detail Pages for flexible site templates.
Stuff You Need
Discover Microsoft’s premier Web development technology and become one with the developer community.
Easily install Internet Information Services, Microsoft .NET Framework, Visual Web Developer and more as a complete platform for developing Web sites, services, and applications.
Create better Web software using architectural best practices.
Microsoft Silverlight is a free framework empowering you to build new types of applications for the Web regardless of target platform or browser, using all the familiar features, languages and tools of the .NET framework.
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Play with your games
Whether you are a hobbyist or a professional developer, Visual Studio helps bring your game experiences to life exactly as you imagine them. Wow players with sophisticated gameplay and visual experiences and get your games to market faster.
Features & Benefits
Share your passion
Talk and share games with an active community of creators and players.
Reduce time-to-awesome
Use the fast and powerful Visual Studio 2008 IDE to get your games up and running and take advantage of performance-tuned libraries.
Reach more eyeballs
Develop for PC, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Zune—and distribute your games through Xbox LIVE Marketplace
Stuff You Need
Industry-leading software, services, resources, and communities focused on enabling game developers to be successful on Microsoft gaming platforms.
Creators Club is the place to go for anyone who is currently developing games or interested in learning how.
Easily create video games for Windows and the Xbox 360 console with free, optimized cross-platform gaming libraries based on .NET.
XNA Game Studio 3.0 integrates with Visual Studio 2008 enabling you to create games for Windows, Microsoft Zune, and Xbox, and distribute Xbox games through Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
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Take your software breakthroughs mobile
Windows Mobile is a rich platform for mobile applications. Visual Studio 2008* helps you build them faster and better using the same code editor, designers, and debugging tools you would for creating other application types.
Features & Benefits
Make the most of device resources
The .NET Compact Framework is optimized for the smaller memory and lower processor speeds of mobile devices.
Build advanced mobile applications quickly
A huge variety of pre-built classes and objects help you quickly integrate data, services, and cross-platform and cross-device communication.
Make your work more accessible
Windows Mobile provides the familiar Windows client computing experience on a mobile, giving your application broader reach.
*Requires Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition or Team System role-based edition.
Stuff You Need
Downloads and support for developers targeting Windows Mobile.
Learn about developing for the latest version of Windows Mobile.
Tools and shortcuts to help you make the most of your skills.
Get tools, sample code, emulator images, and more to help you build apps for Windows Mobile 6.
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Familiar applications, new tricks
Extend the Microsoft Office System using Visual Studio 2008* to create information worker solutions that are innovative, yet immediately familiar and easy to use. Plus, you can reach a huge base of Office System users whether you work inside an enterprise or as an independent vendor.
*Development tools for the Microsoft Office System are available in Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, Visual Studio Team System 2008 Editions.
Features & Benefits
Build with open standards
Microsoft Office 2007 System documents are based on OpenXML, which supports data-sharing among Office system applications and enterprise systems.
Get a head start with a proven platform
Add job- or vertical-specific functionality to the familiar applications information workers use every day.
Work smarter
Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition includes templates for creating Office system add-ons.
Start with a rich user interface
Integrate your solutions into the Office system visual environment including the Office Fluent interface and the Ribbon.
Work faster
The .NET framework provides pre-built services for controlling, connecting, and securing Office System add-ons.
Connect users to data
Language Integrated Query (LINQ) makes it easy to incorporate any type of data into your application without learning specialized languages or methods.
Stuff You Need
Find code samples, SDKs, tools and utilities, developer references, and product updates for the Office developer.
Build software that manipulates Open XML documents and uses LINQ to access XML content that they contain.
Tools, templates, and guidance helping you develop for Microsoft’s popular enterprise collaboration solution.
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Set the controls for the heart of the datacenter
With rapidly evolving technology options—Web services, cloud computing, virtualized desktops, and more—server development has never been more rewarding or challenging. Visual Studio 2008 helps you create interoperable, data-rich services quickly and efficiently, minimizing grunt work and supporting your next-generation innovations.
Features & Benefits
Maximize application performance
Leverage the 64 bit capabilities of the .NET framework.
Enhance interoperability
Create connected applications using standards-based messaging protocols (such as SOAP and REST) with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF).
Incorporate data easily
Integrate data calls into the flow of code with LINQ, a set of language extensions to Visual Basic and Visual C#.
Go big
Create more scalable applications with Windows Workflow Foundation.
Fly in the cloud
Take advantage of the Microsoft Azure, an Internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers.
Stuff You Need
Improve application performance and data access with the latest update to the .NET Framework 3.5.
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Windows Communication Framework
Build connected applications using standards-based protocols.
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Windows Workflow Foundation
Enhance scalability with human and machine workflows implemented as classes.
Learn about Microsoft’s cloud-based operating system.
Develop for the cloud as easily as the client.
Trials, service packs, and more.
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Give your team the power to succeed with an application lifecycle management solution
Visual Studio 2008 Team System enables team members to continuously collaborate while relying on complete tools and guidance through every step of the development lifecycle. The results are cost savings, faster time-to-market, and improved application quality.
Features & Benefits
Use the process that’s right for you
Team Foundation Server provides templates for popular ALM processes and can be extended to work with your other methodologies.
Manage code more effectively
Comprehensive source control, code checkout and bug tracking tools help you tame complex projects.
Provide specialists with the right tools for the job
Visual Studio Team System provides multiple editions to meet the needs of professionals on your team: architects, developers, database experts, and testers.
Stuff You Need
Enhancements, tools and command-line utilities that improve the Team Foundation Server user experience.
Get improved stability, responsiveness, and performance from your Visual Studio ALM solution.
- Team Foundation Server SP1
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Visual Studio 2008 SP1
For Visual Studio 2008 Professional, Team Suite and Team System Editions
Tools and guidance to help you make the most of your investment in Team Suite and Team Foundation Server.
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