Is days of VS 2002/2003 are over

[riteshjain1982]

With each year MS is releasing new development suit and framework its getting hard to keep once self updated with these new changes .And being VS2008 and framework 3.0 already out what do you think about future of it's VS2002/VS2003 and what's u r advise to developers currently using same.

Is Same stands for SQL2005 too

[RobDog888]

You mean Framework 3.5 is out with 2008

There is a 5 year mainstream support cycle for MS product support. Then another 3-5 years for extended support. So it calculates that there are still some years left of support for 2002/2003.

Vista is supporting 1.0/1.1 so there is more life for it yet.

There is no real reason to be developing new apps in 2002/2003 as everything should really be now done in 2008 to insure your apps longevity but 2005 is popular and alot of apps developed under it but give 2008 some time to take hold of the market share.

[riteshjain1982]

uhmmm 3.5 ...........being into maintainance project developed in 1.0/1.1 for almost 2+ years seems like it's high time to come back to mainstream development else will be tough to catch up with new tools

[RobDog888]

Well you dont always have to be on the cutting edge technology but to stay current with a version behind is a good idea.

Using 2005/2008 should be a standard now for new apps and if possible conversion of old apps before they really become incompatible with future versions without simple upgrading.

[DirtyHowi]

i'm sure someone will correct me if i am in fact wrong, but i recall reading somewhere (again this may be wishful thinking) that 2008 will allow you to target which version of the framework you want to write for (2.0/3.0/3.5), so even if your stuff is in 2005 you can still edit it in 2008 and not have to convert it. again, i recall reading it somewhere, but can't find it right off.

[RobDog888]

Yes, that is correct. So if you upgrade your 2002/2003 app to 2005 then it wil support 2.0. Then you can use it in 2008 and still target 2.0 or upgrade it again to 3.0/3.5

If you wait until the next version of VS (VS 10/VSX) then you wil possibly have more steps to do to upgrade it to VS 2010 or whatever they finally decide to call it.

[szlamany]

RD - I'm curious...

Does MS charge full fee for each new version of the VS product - or is there an upgrade fee/path that developers can follow??

[RobDog888]

There is Upgrade versions and reduced prices for them but if they let you upgrade from 2002 to 2008 with one renewal/upgrade Im not sure. That would be a question to call them about before purchasing.

Pricing chart with Upgrade pricing:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa700832.aspx

Eligible products for upgrades:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa700834.aspx

[szlamany]

Thanks - I was just curious.

The new 2008 version seems very open ended - since it will work with a variety of FW's.

[RobDog888]

I think 2008 will become the new standard very fast replacing 2005 as a solid version.

If I had to buy VS I would opt for waiting for 2008 definately.

[dilettante]

It can get confusing because "3.0" and "3.5" were each more like a combination of a service pack plus a feature pack. They all use the same old 2.0 CLR for example (with bug fixes in later ones), though in each case new stuff was added to the Base Class Libraries and the compilers gained new tricks (at least in 3.5).

I get the idea most of the "magic" is in those new compilers and libraries, but not the runtime (CLR) itself.

[RobDog888]

Yes, I think they were forced to make changes in 2.0 from 1.1 that broke backwards compatibility in order to move forward. Since 2.0 I think they have been doing good and are trying to prevent another backlash of complaints from developers.