Visual Studio 11 is THE tool for developers to start building Windows 8 Metro style applications. Announced last week, along with the Windows 8 Developer Preview, the Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview is available as a free download from Microsoft.
Devs looking at Windows 8 Build 8102 M3 and looking to start creating projects for the operating system will need to also take advantage of VS11.
Early adopters can download either an ISO or a Web Installer of Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview. They’ll also get the .NET Framework 4.5 Developer Preview by default and won’t need to get it as a standalone download.
“Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview is an integrated development environment that seamlessly spans the entire life cycle of software creation, including architecture, user interface design, code creation, code insight and analysis, code deployment, testing, and validation,” the software giant explains.
“This release adds support for the most advanced Microsoft platforms, including the next version of Windows (code-named "Windows 8") and Windows Azure, and enables you to target platforms across devices, services, and the cloud.”
Microsoft stresses that developers can install and run Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview alongside Visual Studio 2010.
The Developer Preview Build will offer complete functionality for almost an entire year. But as it is the case with all pre-release software from Microsoft, this release of VS11 is time-bombed and set to expire on June 30, 2012.
Developers that want to start building Metro apps will also need the Windows 8 Developer Preview with developer tools English, 64-bit, in addition to the Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview.
“This preview enables you to test updates and improvements made since Visual Studio 2010, including the following:
• Support for the most advanced platforms from Microsoft, including Windows 8 and Windows Azure, as well as a host of language enhancements.
• New features such as code clone detection, code review workflow, enhanced unit testing, lightweight requirements, production intelliTrace, exploratory testing, and fast context switching,” Microsoft said.
Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview is available for download here.
Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) is available for download here.
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