Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003

by Microsoft

Product Features

• Streamline Web-based development

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00008I9K2
• Item model number: 659-01131
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 18, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,730 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #29 in Software > Programming > Development Utilities
  • #31 in Software > Programming > Programming Languages
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 is Microsoft’s multi-faceted development tool, targeting both Windows and Web applications. This 2003 edition includes numerous small improvements as well as major new features like the Compact Framework, for applications that run on Pocket PC and other smart devices. It supports multiple languages, with the main ones being Visual Basic, C#, and C++. There is also a Java-like language called J#, although J# applications only work on Windows so this is not a true Java development tool. The Visual Studio .NET environment is truly integrated. It makes extensive use of docking and tabbed windows, and there are plenty of project wizards along with huge amounts of online help. Auto-completion and pop-up help eases the business of editing code.

Microsoft’s .NET tools are very different from their predecessors. Visual C++ can still compile standard Windows executables, but the other languages all target the .NET Framework, a runtime engine and class library that manages memory and enforces security. Framework applications perform well, since they are compiled to native code at runtime, but there is an overhead in terms of memory usage and the Framework runtime must be installed. In compensation, .NET brings many advantages. All the languages are fully object-oriented, the class library is rich, and XML support is deeply integrated. ASP.NET is for web applications, and represents a large advance on the old ASP. Instead of script, ASP.NET supports any of the .NET languages, running on the server and just-in-time compiled to native code. There is a visual web page designer, and carefully designed applications support a wide range of browsers. A new feature in this version of Visual Studio is Mobile Web Forms, which use adaptive rendering to support the browsers in mobile phones and PDAs.

The database technology in Visual Studio is called ADO.NET. It uses a disconnected model, which means that applications work with data locally, only contacting the server for data transfer or update. It’s a good model for laptops, smart devices, and wide area networks, but there’s a lot to learn for those skilled in older database APIs.

The Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 edition represents the best value in the range. There’s no Visual SourceSafe or Visio diagramming, and it lacks the server licences found in the high-end Enterprise editions, but it’s otherwise a fully comprehensive package.

For those wondering whether to make the jump to .NET, this release is probably the right moment to go ahead. The technology is maturing, and the inclusion of the Compact Framework makes the package more compelling. Students and newcomers to programming will welcome the clean object-orientation in C#, and the deep XML support on offer is essential for enterprise applications or integrating with other platforms. It’s still important to note the heavy system requirements, and that .NET applications do not run on Windows 95. In most cases, the higher productivity of .NET languages soon pays for any additional resources. --Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description

Microsoft Visual Studio.net 2003 Professional lets you build applications for Microsoft Windows, the web, and mobile devices. This is the most productive Microsoft tool for professional developers. You can achieve your application development vision by building applications for high-performance databases, Windows, and the web. Simplify development and deployment of your application with an integrated security framework, XCOPY deployment, auto-downloads, and side-by-side visioning. Part Number 659-01131.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Peice of kit, January 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 (CD-ROM)

I've been working as a web develop for over 5 years, and I've tried hundreds of different editors and IDE. Visual Studio.NET is by far the most complete I have ever used. My boss' at first weren't too happy about forking out so much for one peice of software, but on the first project we used it for, we made the money back on a short development time and testing time.

Because everything can be developed in more or less the same way as an ASP.NET app, we were able to offer clients more solutions for their buck. We now offer desktop and mobile solutions as well as what we offered before!

The learning curve can be somewhat steep, but once you learn to do most things, everything will become a breeze.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars STEP BACKWARDS but has bells and whistles, September 12, 2003

By 

Crawford Leitch (burbank, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 (CD-ROM)

I used Visual Studio 6 / Visual Interdev a lot and found it very good. I'm a decent VB programmer so I created several apps and managed our corporate website /sub webs with it too. I could do all that my business group needed. VS.NET 2003 has just made all that a lot, lot harder for not much gain. Aside from learning the new languages VB.NET and C# which I don't really mind the new asp.net and web site development is horrendous for people who do it all themselves. It was a lot simpler before. First time you try to delete a test project you won't find a delete option or anything in the help about it. It turns out you need to use explorer to delete the files and IIS to remove the virtual site. Why would they do that? In short the gains are mainly for the big enterprise users with 2003 servers running IIS6. $$$. Very disappointing really and I really like Microsoft stuff. Microsoft SQL server is fantastic for instance. Good luck and be prepared to study...

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not Great, November 24, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003 (CD-ROM)

To put simple, this product is good, but it's not great. The true biggest problem is the complexity and learning curve. If your migrating from DevStudio, then you'll have a heck of a time learning the new environment and set up. But once you learn how to use it (which will take a while), it's much better than DevStudio, and the new languages are definately worth it.