Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect 2003

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Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000089GKU
• Item model number: G77-00204
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 1, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,068 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #31 in	Software > Programming > Development Utilities
  #99 in	Software > Programming > Programming Languages

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Visual Studio .NET 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 fully 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. New 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, and uses a disconnected model that is ideal for laptops, smart devices, and wide area networks.

Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect 2003 is the top of the range. It’s the only version to include Visio, a drawing and modelling tool with integrated reverse-engineering and code-generation, though sadly not full round-tripping. There are also developer licenses for the key Microsoft server platforms, including Windows Server 2003, Exchange 2000 Server, Biztalk Server and SQL Server 2000. Another key component is the Visual SourceSafe code management system, which is especially important for team development, Application Center Test, for stress-testing web applications, and Enterprise Templates which let architects design and deploy best practices for project development. 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. The deep XML support on offer is essential for many enterprise applications and enables integration 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

Amazon.com Product Description

Visual Studio .NET 2003 provides developers with comprehensive tools for designing and building distributed applications for Microsoft Windows, the Web, and mobile devices. Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Architect (VSEA) builds on the power of Visual Studio .NET 2003 Enterprise Developer by including additional capabilities for designing, specifying, and communicating application architecture, development best practices, and application functionality.

Use Microsoft Visio–based Unified Modeling Language (UML) to specify and communicate application architecture and functionality. Generate skeleton code to create starting implementations, and use reverse-engineering capabilities to document existing implementations in all Visual Studio .NET programming languages. Capture business requirements easily with Visio-based conceptual modeling. Full roundtrip engineering with logical and physical data models enable communication from the business analyst to the database designer.

Senior developers and architects can customize Enterprise Template projects to provide application starting points for less-experienced developers, increasing development team productivity. Build reusable components to simplify common programming tasks. Use Enterprise Instrumentation Framework components to simplify application manageability and instrumentation. And use the .NET Framework and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to develop distributed applications with improved deployment capabilities, security, reliability, and performance.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best. Suite. Ever, July 11, 2005

A Kid's Review

This is the most incredible programming suite I have ever seen. If you can do it with another compiler, you can do it with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect 2003. Not only does it have compilers for C/C++, C#, J#, and VB, it also contains an HTML editor, XML editor, and various other tools to help you build websites and web apps. Heck, it even comes with it's own paint program for creating custom icons and cursors for your programs. Bottom line: if you are serious about developing for Windows, you need Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect 2003.

7 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Programming Suite, April 27, 2003

By	Robert D. Shull "shullrd" (Fairfield, OH) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Microsoft Visual Studio.NET Enterprise Architecht enables programmers to take full advantage of the .NET platform. Visual Studio.NET allows programmers to utilize the newer .NET framework 1.1, which contains enhancements in security and performance.

This version of Visual Studio includes: Visual Basic.NET 2003, Visual C++.NET 2003, Visual C#.NET 2003, and Visual J#.NET 2003. Having access to all of the .NET languages means that you have the ability to code in whichever language is most appropriate to your project.

A few language enhancements have also been included in this version. One of the most useful is the ability to declare a variable inside a loop using VB.NET 2003. For example:

For each var1 as string in varArray
'Do action
Next

Microsoft also bundles a handful of useful utilities with this package. These utilities will enable you to monitor your applications, benchmark web services, obfuscate your code, and much more.

.NET has a slightly different syntax than earlier versions of the languages (ie version 6), so if you are new to .NET a reference book would be handy.

Visual Studio.NET 2003 is worth the upgrade.

If you are a developer using several Microsoft technologies, a MSDN subscription is very helpful. MSDN Universal subscriptions include Visual Studio Enterprise Architect, developer licenses for all Microsoft operating systems, developer licenses for all Microsoft server systems, Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise edition, and more. MSDN subscribers have access to support via managed newsgroups and phone support.