Setting up a development environment with multiple workstations and Visual Studio 2008

Question

I currently have a small laptop and a desktop (+ gaming rig) that I use for development. I prefer to use the workstation at home because of the multiple large displays and performance and the laptop for it's mobility. When I need to work on Visual Studio 2008 web projects I RDP into my desktop over the internet. I would like to do this work locally on my desktop but transferring files back and forth is cumbersome.

I use Beyond Compare to keep source files in sync and Redgate SQL compare to keep the databases in sync. My development server is a Ubuntu server running VMWare with Windows Server 2003 instances with IIS and SQL Server for each project. This server is accessible via a FTP through a central FTP hub. I am not working in a team so Subversion (or similar) is not required...though I am not adverse to using it. I don't compile until it's time to push to production which I do from my desktop.

Does anyone have any suggestions for improvements that would make this multiple workstation environment simpler?

Answer 1

Using source control accessible to both would almost certainly make life a lot simpler. I'd also say there's a lot more to source control than just working in a team. It allows you to experiment without risk of losing existing work, keep stable releases and development branches etc.

There are plenty of public source control solutions - I've recently started using git, and github has been really easy to use. (I use git just from the command line - it's not as slick as using VisualSvn or something similar within Visual Studio, but if you're happy on a command line it shouldn't be a problem.)

Whichever one you pick, a source control system would certainly be my suggested multi-workstation solution.

Answer 2

I gave up using my two workstations for development and moved to just using my mobile laptop as my main developer/business machine.

Using a HP workstation docking station i get my dual-screen setup. then i have a desktop machine as my local server and backup machine.

get some SSD flash memory storage for your laptop and it will be faster than your stationary ones!

Andy

Answer 3

I'd highly recommend using source control for multiple system development (or single system development). Along with making it easy to synchronize changes across multiple systems, it also helps you track your changes and backup your work. I find it invaluable being able to implement risky changes knowing that with a couple clicks I can revert my work to an earlier stage.

Subversion can be nice, and I'd normally recommend open source free software, but I'd recommend giving perforce a shot. It has a free 2 user/5 workstation license, so it is still free as in beer for most home use. The interface is easy to use, it has a lot of nice features, and if you remember to install the perforce SCC plugin it directly and transparently integrates with Visual Studio (including auto checkout on edit).