I know VS2010 is coming out soon and that usually corresponds to a update of the express versions
does anyone know if they are going to make a separate F# express suite?
+13
A:
From this page:
Don says: Our current plan is not to have a separate express edition, but instead to continue to provide a version of the development tools that can either be used as a standalone command line compiler, or as an add-in, initially to Visual Studio 2008.
UPDATE
Today a new release of F# includes an installer into the VS2010 integrated shell. So you can have a 'free' VS2010 experience of F# now.
adrianbanks
2009-06-10 17:47:17
Sad but true ;-)
Dario
2009-06-10 17:48:11
Note that the 2008 add-in works atop the VS Integrated Shell, which is free.
Brian
2009-06-10 18:00:31
Well, that is sad. The Express Editions are a great way to get people excited about a language on their own time.
Nosredna
2009-06-10 20:18:24
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Crash893
2009-06-11 14:15:45
+1
A:
The compiler is free (as in beer) so you're only lacking an editor.
Niki Yoshiuchi
2009-06-10 20:15:13
+11
A:
You can install Visual Studio 2008 Shell and install F# add-in on top of it (which makes it effectively free). I can't see a need for an express edition.
Mehrdad Afshari
2009-06-10 20:18:02
This is what I have set up on two systems, I can confirm it's indistinguishable from the Express Editions of the other .NET languages.
flatline
2009-06-10 20:42:35
As I understand it, the downside is that if you want to use F# AND C#, you have to install two version of VS...
Benjol
2009-06-11 09:19:17
@Benjol: This is true for all express editions. If you want to install C# and VB, you have to install two separate express editions.
Mehrdad Afshari
2009-06-11 09:21:49
VS2008 doesn't support .NET 4, so you cannot get any of the new features (e.g. parallelism) that way.
Jon Harrop
2010-04-13 17:38:45
+1
A:
They say It will come with VS2010:
http://cs.hubfs.net/blogs/f_team/archive/2009/05/20/10398.aspx
yelinna
2009-06-10 20:24:34
Yes, but that is not the express edition. C# has Visual C# Express Edition [http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/] and VB.Net has Visual Basic Express Edition [http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/] which are both free.The original question was about whether there would be a Visual F# Express Edition that would also be free.
adrianbanks
2009-06-10 20:34:54
+1
A:
Mehrdad is of course correct that the VS shell can be installed for free and then you just install the free F#. And he's correct again that to get both C# Express and VB Express on one machine is two separate installs.
So for the stack-overflow types, really there is no need for F# Express.
But consider a high-school, community-college or university setting. It's easier for the instructor, and easier for all the students to visit one site (the future 2010 Express edition site) and click on install F# Express. One URL for the instructors to document in class handouts, one place to go per student, then one install operation per student. And no instructor or student has to worry "Should I install integrated mode VS shell or isolated mode VS shell?"
Again, there's no issue here for stack-overflow people. And it won't be an issue in the classrooms until instructors want to put F# into their classrooms.
But there is a bit of chicken/egg here. If an F# Express edition exists before there is much demand in the classrooms, that removes a hurdle, which means classroom demand could take off sooner. Maybe a lot sooner.
brucer10
2010-02-24 20:53:02