Does anyone have a reasonable overview regarding the current C++11/C++14 state of that edition?

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vcblog/archive/2014/08/21/c-11-14-features-in-visual-studio-14-ctp3.aspx

Lists current as well as up coming Visual Studio 2015 (they call it 14 on the page).

They also support Linux/OSX:

http://news.microsoft.com/2014/11/12/microsoft-takes-net-open-source-and-cross-platform-adds-new-development-capabilities-with-visual-studio-2015-net-2015-and-visual-studio-online/

Will that enable us to create cross platform c# desktop apps from Ubuntu (my preferred os)? What about Unity3D?

That whole announcement is a little bit disingenuous.

What's happened is that Microsoft has recognized they've missed the bus on the mobile/cloud wave -- it accounts for all the hottest new development and they're not really in the picture at all. Turns out that the "cloud" (what we used to call servers) is pretty much owned by Linux because of the "container" technology you can use there (and similar technologies on also-rans Solaris and BSD). Microsoft offers nothing like that. Even Microsoft's cloud foundation "Azure" runs predominantly Linux images with containers.

The current mobile/cloud wave consists of fat services running in containers on the cloud with thin clients on the devices (often mostly just JavaScript and HTML pushed out by the servers). Microsoft has realized this and are trying to wedge in by providing their Azure for the cloud (to host Linux) and VS for the desktop for developers to (a) control the cloud and (2) deploy and control their services. I would expect no less, and more power to them.

So, by 'Visual Studio targeting Linux' does not mean you can (a) start running it on Linux or (b) start writing desktop applications for Linux. In fact, the parts of .NET that are used for desktop applications are still closed source. It means you can target .NET-based services running in Ubuntu containers running on Azure that can push JSON out to apps running on an iPhone, all from your Surface Pro 3. Much like you already can do with your Chromebook.

Excellent news. Have been happily using the Express version for years, but nice to get the full version. Good to see the recognition for all of individual developers, Open Source and educational use.

Also interesting about the cross-platform stuff - I'd noted that C# is, despite being a language for MS platforms, actually is one of the few ways to write cross-platform software across a load of phone/tablet and laptop/desktop platforms thanks to the likes of Xamarin - interesting to see MS now officially using that to their advantage, rather than trying to clamp down on it.

This is a good move on their part. Something logical, finally. Maybe Microsoft is getting sense? They are making a Windows 10, which is like 7.

What went through Microsoft's head

Poor college student in debt + Expensive software = Nobody wants my software

10 is like 8 - MS aren't rolling back on things, but rather continuing to improve things. And yes, making it so the start menu/screen can open in a window rather than full screen, for people who prefer that.

But yes, I do like what MS done more and more over the years.

So, by 'Visual Studio targeting Linux' does not mean you can (a) start running it on Linux or (b) start writing desktop applications for Linux. In fact, the parts of .NET that are used for desktop applications are still closed source. It means you can target .NET-based services running in Ubuntu containers running on Azure that can push JSON out to apps running on an iPhone, all from your Surface Pro 3. Much like you already can do with your Chromebook.

Thanks, never heard of Ubuntu containers...will google that someday. So we simply wait for Ubuntu, Unity3D etc. to replace Mono with MS C# to avoid license problems? And as bonus

it probably runs faster and will become supported out of the box without having users to install runtimes? Good news then, I might someday start coding with QT# or GTK#.

Good news. The 5 user / $1m thing could be a bit of a pain because lots and lots of companies use the Express versions who will not be eligible for the free version - and $1m revenue is really not "enterprise" but pretty small.... if you have 250 PCs your wage bill alone will be $5-10m!

However I'm looking forward to finally upgrading from 2008 now I can use plugins in free versions. For freelancers this is excellent.

if you're a small business that fits in between this and "enterprise", then sign up for Bizspark and get almost every MS product for free - tonnes of keys of Windows, office, MSVC, databases, free cloud resources, etc...

It's only for a year or two - then suddenly you have to shell out big time IIRC - but definitely well worth publicising, it IS a wonderful program that isn't as well known as it should be.

Good news. The 5 user / $1m thing could be a bit of a pain because lots and lots of companies use the Express versions who will not be eligible for the free version - and $1m revenue is really not "enterprise" but pretty small.... if you have 250 PCs your wage bill alone will be $5-10m!

However I'm looking forward to finally upgrading from 2008 now I can use plugins in free versions. For freelancers this is excellent.

if you're a small business that fits in between this and "enterprise", then sign up for Bizspark and get almost every MS product for free - tonnes of keys of Windows, office, MSVC, databases, free cloud resources, etc...

It's only for a year or two - then suddenly you have to shell out big time IIRC - but definitely well worth publicising, it IS a wonderful program that isn't as well known as it should be.

It's three years and you don't have to shell out anything at all. You get discounts on msdn subscriptions on graduation, but there are no requirements for purchases. If you have servers in production, then those licenses will no longer be free, but you'll pay from that point on and only the regular fee. So yeah, it's pretty much the best thing ever.

It's three years and you don't have to shell out anything at all. You get discounts on msdn subscriptions on graduation, but there are no requirements for purchases. If you have servers in production, then those licenses will no longer be free, but you'll pay from that point on and only the regular fee. So yeah, it's pretty much the best thing ever.

On top of that, you keep the licenses for the software you already have. See this:

http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/about/graduation.aspx

Keep, at no charge, all the software you downloaded during the three years you were in the BizSpark program. If you have servers in production, you will get licenses to continue to use up to 4 Windows Servers (Standard Edition) and 2 SQL Servers (Standard Edition). The BizSpark team will review requests for startups who need a different configuration.

There really is no downside or risk. While you're in BizSpark, you'll also get $150 / month of Azure usage which can be used for production hosting. Normal MSDN Azure usage is for dev/test only.

There really is no downside or risk. While you're in BizSpark, you'll also get $150 / month of Azure usage which can be used for production hosting. Normal MSDN Azure usage is for dev/test only.

Only downside is that you cannot have web development as your main business. Kind of fine terms when thinking about it. You get access to pretty much anything from Microsoft to use for your development. I have been very happy about the BizSpark program so far.

You need to develop your own software or service, you cannot be a consultant or coder-for-hire in that program. As far as I understand it, it's perfectly fine to create a web service however. The company in the BizSpark program must own the software/service(s) created using tools from the BizSpark program.

The whole keeping the licenses thing is a bit vague. You may keep using the licensed software for development and testing, but you may apparently not use it in production, which for a product company is pretty much the same thing. We are still trying to figure out exactly what this means and/or if it's just the local reseller trying to trick us.

It's three years and you don't have to shell out anything at all. You get discounts on msdn subscriptions on graduation, but there are no requirements for purchases. If you have servers in production, then those licenses will no longer be free, but you'll pay from that point on and only the regular fee. So yeah, it's pretty much the best thing ever.

What about your developer PCs running Windows, Office, VS, etc? MS just say "OK those are free, good luck"? I've been in MAPS and TechNet and it seems that wasn't the case for either of those/