Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 improvements can be classified into following 7 different technology areas:

  • Develop Smart Client Applications:Visual Studio provides a new set of tools and classes which will enable developers and simplify the integration of their smart client applications with existing or new web based applications. Main development focus areas are:
    • Integrated UI Designer Experience: Support for common formats such as XAML and giving designers direct control of Layout, controls and data binding of application user interface. Designers can use tools like Microsoft Expression Suite to create UIs and produce files that developers can directly work with in Visual studio.
    • Developers can use Visual Studio Tools for Office to create UI to leverage the look and feel of both Office and SharePoint.
    • Improved ClickOnce Application Deployment: Support for Firefox as browser and location independent signing and customer branding. Also, it is possible to deploy applications using clickonce thru authenticated proxy servers and enables developers to distribute their applications to multiple end user companies from central location.
    • Office 2007 UI style support for Native C++ applications: Includes Ribbon bar, Ribbon Status Bar, and Mini-Toolbar.
    • Client Application-level Services: Client applications can use the same user profile and login services as web applications.
    • Occasionally connected data access using Microsoft Synchronization Services for ADO.NET.
    • Integrated support for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition
    • Leverage SOA and WCF in mobile applications
  • Create Microsoft Office Applications: Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) is now fully integrated into Visual Studio 2008 professional edition. Visual Studio enables developers to customize Microsoft Office Applications such as Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Visio, InfoPath and Project to take further advantage of Office 2007 System. Some advantages are:
    • Target the breadth of the new Office 2007 System: Customizations can be done both at application and document level.
    • Visual Studio simplifies the task of developing SharePoint Server workflow projects and provide access to back end data stores and enterprise applications such as SAP, CRM and ERP.
    • Microsoft Office Based UI workflow solutions.
    • Full support for ClickOnce deployment of all Office customizations and applications.
  • Build Windows Vista Applications:Enables to incorporate Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) features into both Windows Forms applications and new applications. Key improvements in this area are:
    • Build rich experience applications quickly and easily. Tools include designer and XAML Editor, project templates, debugging support, deployment support etc.
    • Developers can move their applications easily to new Windows Vista like look and feel.
    • Improved interoperability and performance between native and managed code.
  • Handle Data More Productively:ADO.NET integrates with Language Integrated Query (LINQ) to provide a consistent programmatic approach and perform data access with new data design surfaces. Support for occasionaly connected deisgn pattern to simplify the development task for those application types is included.
    • Developers can now use data access logic using .NET language such as VB.NET or C# instead of using SQL or XPath queries.
    • Deep support for incorporating .NET language integrated query into web applications.
  • Enable New Web Experiences:
    • Tools to build robust and more interactive 'AJAX-Style' applications for better user experience.
    • Configure service end points using the same tools and code, regardless of wired protocol (HTTP, TCP/IP) to transmit messages and test the service without code.
    • Easility consume Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Services.
    • Service implementation integrated with workflow design.
  • Better Developer Experience:
    • Target different .NET Framework platforms. Not tightly bound to any target platform.
    • Improvements in windows forms designer: simplification of design time error list and better feedback mechanism, Ignore and Continue feature, better designer performance, etc.
  • Improve Application Lifecycle Management: With this release, the new capabilities include:
    • Integrate Database professionals into development life cycle by providing support for source control, testing and test data generation, rename factoring, and a deployment solution that includes visual diff/merge and deployment script generation.
    • Extend Visual Studio's Unit Testing Capabilities.
    • Load testing for enterprise: Simplified load testing interface and multiple machine graph view that brings together test results, performance and health of machines under test.
    • Enable Perforamance Tuning and Diagnistics of enterprise application thru testing thru visual studio test tools. Ability to run prifiling during tests and collect traces.

For latest information on Visual Studio 2008, check out Visual Studio Web Site.