Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Deliver Beta 2 in Final Stretch to March 22 Launch

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Deliver Beta 2 in Final Stretch to
March 22 Launch
Microsoft announces Ultimate Offer, provides new value for developers.

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today
announced the immediate availability of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2
and Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Beta 2 to MSDN subscribers; general
availability will follow on Oct. 21. The company also outlined a simplified
product lineup and pricing options for Visual Studio 2010 as well as new
benefits for MSDN subscribers, including the Ultimate Offer, available to all
active MSDN Premium subscribers at the official product launch on March 22,
2010.

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Customers should begin investigating the significant innovations in each of
the technologies today. New testing options in Visual Studio 2010 will help
ensure quality code. Enhancements to the integrated development environment
mean that whether modeling, coding, testing or debugging, developers can use
existing skills to deploy a growing number of application types. Built-in
tools for Windows 7 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010, new drag and drop bindings
for Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation, and interoperability with
innovative technologies (such as those for the database, ASP.NET model view
controller, unified modeling language, Expression, and multicore) allow
developers to bring their visions to life. With the .NET Framework 4,
developers can experience immensely smaller deployments with up to an 81
percent reduction in the framework size when using the Client Profile. Other
.NET Framework 4 developer benefits include additional support for industry
standards, inclusion of the Dynamic Language Runtime for more language choice,
new support for high-performance middle-tier applications (including parallel
programming, workflow and service-oriented applications) and backward
compatibility through side-by-side installation with .NET Framework 3.5.

"Developers face demanding, complex and fast-paced environments today; this
next wave of tools and technologies will help simplify the development process
from design to deployment and will enable developers to use their existing
skills and knowledge to build better software, faster," said S. Somasegar,
senior vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft. "Now is the time
to test drive the new functionality and features in these releases, which
address everything from Windows 7 and SharePoint support to collaboration and
life-cycle management."

With the Ultimate Offer, active MSDN Premium subscribers will be transitioned
to a higher-level Visual Studio 2010 with MSDN subscription at launch. This
provides access to an unprecedented amount of resources, including test and
development rights for Microsoft server software (including Windows Server
2008 R2 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008), Microsoft Office, and premium Visual
Studio tools.

"The 2010 wave is not only about innovation but about helping our customers
get significantly more for their investments," said Dave Mendlen, senior
director of developer marketing at Microsoft. "The Ultimate Offer and new MSDN
subscriber benefits combine to give developers access to high-quality tools,
training and community support while at the same time providing organizations
with an immensely better value for their money."

Microsoft has also simplified the product lineup for Visual Studio 2010 and
announced pricing details. In the next version, customers will be able to
choose from three main versions of Visual Studio 2010:
-- Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN. The comprehensive
suite
of application life-cycle management tools for software teams to help
ensure quality results from design to deployment
-- Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN. A complete toolset to
help developers deliver scalable, high-quality applications

-- Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Professional with MSDN. The essential
tool
for basic development tasks to assist developers in implementing their
ideas easily

Also today, Microsoft unveiled new benefits for MSDN subscribers, including
these:
-- Unlimited access to Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 (upon
release), a server product that drives down the risks and costs of
developing software by enhancing team collaboration
-- Azure Development, which enables MSDN Premium subscribers to develop
on
the Windows Azure platform (Microsoft's cloud services platform) with
compute hours, storage, data transfers, SQL Azure databases and .NET
Services.

-- Complimentary e-learning, up to 40 hours per year, per subscriber

To help developers access the wealth of online resources in a more streamlined
fashion, Microsoft has also updated the MSDN Web site, which now features an
updated user interface, a faster version of the MSDN Library and more
community resources.

Those interested can download Beta 2 at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full
potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Rapid Response Team of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, +1-503-443-7070,
rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, for Microsoft Corp.