What edition of Visual Studio 2008 for commercial projects

+1 A:

At least Pro - given the description above you want to look at the BizSpark programme. If you don't/can't go down that route then you should be looking at an MSDN sub to at least the VS Pro level.

Murph 2009-11-30 14:46:10

What is in your opinion the reason not to use Standard? I'm not questioning your choice, I'd rather see why you would have at least Pro.

OregonGhost 2009-11-30 14:47:29

To be honest I'm not sure any more - it was a combination of VS features and MSDN entitlements, now I'm revisting. There were some serious gaps in terms of proper project structure in the original express editions too. Hmm, looking at the comparison there's not a lot at the raw code level between pro and standard (in terms of Visual Studio at least) although there's quite a lot in terms of SDKs and the like (and those may be obtainable after the fact anyway). Server explorer is nice but not essential, never used remote debugging... Still leaves the MSDN question.

Murph 2009-11-30 15:59:16

I think one of the Pro features that *may* be worth the larger edition is unit testing, which is part of Pro since the 2008 version. But other than that, It seems there's nothing important missing, since Standard has all the class designer tools and also has add-in support (which is a feature that is lacking in the Express editions). I used Remote Debugging a few times, though. Don't know how VMWare's Visual Studio add-in compares.

OregonGhost 2009-11-30 17:10:40

Keep in mind that Standard is going away with VS2010, so if you're considering future upgrade, it may be better to go with Professional now (it has a straightforward upgrade path). See http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/10/visual-studio-2010-simplified-to-four-skus-beta-2-arrives.ars.

Pavel Minaev 2009-11-30 17:23:20

@Pavel - that's a good point - if one were starting now it might as well be with 2010 unless there are compelling reasons to do otherwise.

Murph 2009-11-30 17:28:48

+6 A:

Definitely check out Microsoft BizSpark. For next to nothing Microsoft will provide a software startup with Visual Studio, SQL Server, and other dev tools. I would also say that the edition doesn't matter as much as what comes with it. Look at the feature matrices of the various VS packages and figure out what you need. You can always upgrade later. I've done a lot of contract work with VS Express and there are no licensing restrictions on what you do with the software you build. Start small, and buy as necessary.

Chris Clark 2009-11-30 14:51:00

+1 for mentioning that the Express editions may already be sufficient.

OregonGhost 2009-11-30 14:51:59

+1 for BizSpark

Maciej 2009-11-30 15:22:04

+1 for express, can you confirm it tough?

elcuco 2009-11-30 15:38:22

sure can! Straight from the horse's mouth (see question #7):http://www.microsoft.com/express/support/faq/

Chris Clark 2009-11-30 15:41:26

+2 A:

I suggest a look at the Visual Studio Editions comparison sheet and just check what you need. Note that from a technical perspective, you are not locked if you choose to start with a smaller edition.

OregonGhost 2009-11-30 14:51:22

A:

I would start with the Express Editions and upgrade to another edition if you miss functionallity (e.g. Add-Ins like Resharper; they cannot be used in the express edition). Upgrading is no problem since you can use your projects in all editions.

Satanlike 2009-11-30 15:36:15

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What edition of Visual Studio 2008 for commercial projects

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