Is there any reason to use TFS 2010 in a micro ISV?

Question

Yesterday I was checking VS2010 editions here and I've noticed that with VS10 with MSDN we get TFS2010 with 1 CAL. I'm a micro ISV (basically sole developer, many clients).

I just want to save time - did anyone tried it in similar scenario?

Are there any features worth looking into for such a small implementation?

P.S. Right now I'm using GIT with gitextension - I'm happy with it, but I would like something more integrated with project management and bug tracking so I can show it to my clients when I'm working on their projects.

Answer 1

I can't compare it to GIT, but many of Team Foundation's strong features, such as branching & merging, msbuild, work item tracking etc really make as much sense to a big team as to one developer. Team Foundation 2010 is super-easy to install and it can be used on a client installation also, which is probably a big bonus for you.

The time Microsoft stated that TFS is meant for big teams, and smaller ones should stick to SourceSafe is long gone.

Answer 2

TFS is not just about source control, but offers other ALM functionality. While much of that (e.g. reporting) is unlikely to offer much, things like work item tracking (maintaining your bug and tasks lists amongst the distractions of being your own business) become useful.

There is nothing in TFS that free options don't also do, but (1) TFS is, to you, free, and (2) TFS offers a level of integration that separate tools are likely to require some work to achieve.