This week I’ve spent some time to update my new laptop (a LenovoT61p) and to install some fresh bits.

Right now I’m running:

• Windows 7 Enterprise x64
• Office 2010 Beta
• Visual Studio 2010 Beta2

Also I have one VPC running

• Windows Server 2008 x86
• SQL Server 2008
• WSS 3.0
• TFS 2010 Beta 2

And the first experience is really, really good.

I have to admit, since this set of releases I was a little bit frustrated with the net .Net technologies, it looks like Ms says: “here are the frameworks, use it, but we will still using our old friend Win32”.

But now that Visual Studio is using WPF so .Net in it’s core, the intention is clear, .Net can be used to build a “Big Desktop Thing” as VS is.

There have been another changes to improve the modularity of the system that are really good, some examples:

• TFS does not require SharePoint anymore
• .. So there is a Basic TFS version to deploy on client machines (without Reporting and SharePoint)
• The IDE is more modular than ever with the new VS Shell

I’m enjoying the new Editor, the new IDE performance, those sloooow windows as “Add Reference” are now asynchronous,  also the help system rocks.

I think this is a major step forward, not only because the product itself, but because this is showing the world how .Net can be used for almost anything

Great Job