Posted 10/19/09 at 04:20:12 PM by Bart Salisbury

Beta 2 of Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2010, along with .NET Framework 4, is being readied for its second round of beta testing. Visual Studio is a development system which Microsoft touts as “a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help software developers create innovative, next-generation applications.” Visual Studio supports development for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Azure, SQL Server, Office 2010 and, in Beta 2, SharePoint 2010 making it, says Microsoft, “the perfect work environment for application developers.”

.NET Framework 4, which is being released at the same time, is said to be 81 percent smaller than earlier versions, allowing it to be downloaded more quickly, and be more easily installed. It adds support the the Microsoft Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR), giving programmers more language choices. And it is better suited for parallel-programming, workflow-centric and service-oriented application development.

Microsoft plans to put Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 into the hands of MSDN members on October 19. An open public beta is will be launched on October 21. The final version of Visual Studio 2010 is expected to be released in March, 2010.

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Posted 09/24/09 at 08:33:11 PM by Ryan Whitwam

If you happen to be a web designer, Microsoft would like to have a quick word with you. Just don’t drop any more money on Adobe products until you’ve heard them out. Microsoft’s Expression design tools haven’t enjoyed wide scale adoption in the face of Adobe, but they’re out to change that. As part of Microsoft’s “Spark” program, they will be giving away several thousand dollars worth of software to any small design firms interested.

Web design shops with up to 10 employees are eligible, and all they have to do is pay a $100 administrative fee. The so-called “WebSpark” giveaway includes multiple licenses of Expression, Visual Studio 2008, Web Server 2008 and SQL Server. The software licenses are good for three years and include full support. Not bad for $100.

Microsoft expects 15,000 to 20,000 companies to get in on the deal. Clearly, this program is meant to get small firms into the Microsoft ecosystem early. While their intentions may not be entirely pure, it’s hard to refuse the offer of free software.

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