Frequently Asked Questions About Visual Studio .NET 2003

Visual Studio .NET 2003 is the comprehensive, multi-language development tool for rapidly building and integrating XML Web services and applications. Visual Studio .NET 2003 offers a highly productive environment in which to develop a broad range of Microsoft .NET-connected applications and technologies. Using the high-performance Microsoft .NET Framework run-time environment, Visual Studio .NET provides you with powerful tools for designing, building, testing, and deploying Web services and applications, as well as sharing best practices and guidelines in a team environment.

Visual Studio .NET 2003 includes a range of enhancements for the hobbyist, professional, mobile, and enterprise developer.

At the heart of every edition of Visual Studio .NET 2003 is the new and improved .NET Framework 1.1, which assists developers in creating fast, scalable applications.

Mobile application developers now have the ability to create browser-based applications for mobile devices or smart client applications for the Pocket PC. Using the integrated ASP.NET Web Forms and the Visual Studio .NET Web Forms Designer, developers can easily build thin-client, Web-based applications that intelligently render on more than 200 devices including wireless application protocol (WAP) mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and pagers.

Visual Studio .NET 2003 also includes integrated support for the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework. Using the Microsoft Windows Forms designer, Microsoft Visual Basic and C# developers can build, debug, and deploy applications for the Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and other smart devices powered by the .NET Compact Framework. Integrated emulation enables developers to program and debug their applications without requiring a device. These features are available in Visual Studio .NET 2003 Professional, Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise, and Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Architect editions.

Visual Studio .NET 2003 includes a number of enhancements for the C++ developer including greater ISO conformance (98 percent), new compiler optimizations including /G7 for generating optimized code for Intel Pentium IV and AMD Athlon processors, access to the shared Visual Studio .NET Forms Designer, and more.

Yes, you can install Visual Studio .NET 2003 on a computer that is running Visual Studio 6.0 and use both, system requirements permitting.

Yes, you can install Visual Studio .NET 2002 and Visual Studio .NET 2003 on the same computer, system requirements permitting.

Microsoft Visual InterDev® is included in the Visual Studio .NET integrated development environment (IDE). All languages have access to the Web development capabilities that were previously unique to Visual InterDev version 6.0.

The functionality previously available in Professional and Enterprise editions of the individual language products is now available in the Professional and Enterprise editions of Visual Studio .NET 2003. A new Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect edition is also available with tools, including Microsoft Visio® Enterprise Architect edition, specifically designed for software architects building enterprise software.

Yes. Visual Basic .NET 2003 Standard and Visual Studio .NET 2003 Professional, Enterprise Developer, and Enterprise Architect editions include an upgrade wizard that automatically upgrades Visual Basic 6.0 projects when they are opened in Visual Basic .NET 2003. The upgrade wizard modifies the language for syntax changes and converts Visual Basic 6.0 forms to Windows Forms. In addition, the upgrade wizard generates a report that alerts you to any manual changes that need to be made in your code. Comments are displayed as tasks in the Task List window, and you can navigate to the code statement simply by double-clicking a task item.

You can use Microsoft Visual C++® to produce code for.NET—connected applications. In addition, Microsoft has improved the Active Template Library (ATL), Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), and the compiler in Visual C++ .NET. Microsoft has also introduced ATL Server, a set of extensions to the Active Template Library, for producing native-code Web service applications.

These platforms are not supported at design time. This decision was made to ensure that you would be able to benefit from the most advanced platform features available today. For code execution, Microsoft Windows 98 and later editions are supported.

The .NET Framework enables you to call existing Component Object Model (COM) and COM+ components. It also enables .NET Framework-connected components to be exposed to COM and COM+ development. Additionally, a considerable amount of COM+ 1.0 "plumbing" has been simplified in the .NET Framework.

Yes. As per the licensing agreement, customers can setup and run their own benchmarks of the .NET framework for technical evaluation purposes. You may not disclose the results of any benchmark test of the .NET Framework to any external third party outside your organization without Microsoft’s prior written approval. You can email benchnet@microsoft.com for more specific details on obtaining this approval.

The .NET Compact Framework brings .NET-connected applications to smart, mobile devices—including Pocket PC and Pocket PC 2002. With Visual Studio .NET 2003, you can create smart device applications for these devices using the same tools, code, and techniques that you use on the desktop.

Microsoft Visual J# .NET makes it possible for Java developers to use the language of their choice to program .NET-connected applications. With Visual J# .NET, programmers can build robust .NET-connected applications that interoperate with applications written in any other language supported by Microsoft .NET. With Visual J# .NET, Java-language developers can use the rich tools of the .NET Framework (ADO.NET, ASP.NET, and others) where the functionality and simplicity surpass what is available in the Java developer kit (JDK) specifications.