14 DAY TRIAL // In a large sense, Visual Studio Codename Orcas is the next generation development tool for Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office 2007 and the Web. In particular, Visual Studio Orcas is the next step in the evolution of ASP.NET. Even as Microsoft made available ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 on January 23, 2007, Scott Guthrie, General Manager within the Microsoft Developer Division, revealed that Orcas was in the works.
In this context, Microsoft has announced the availability of a pre-release of the Visual Studio Orcas as a March 2007 Community technology preview. Orcas is built to incorporate all of the ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 features, but, in addition, Visual Studio Orcas will also deliver client-side JavaScript intellisense, JavaScript compilation checking, and rich JavaScript debugging support for ASP.NET AJAX scenarios.
"Visual Studio code name "Orcas" delivers on Microsoft's vision of smart client applications by enabling developers to rapidly create connected applications that deliver the highest quality rich user experiences. This new version enables any size organization to rapidly create more secure, manageable, and more reliable applications that take advantage of Windows Vista and the 2007 Office System. By building these new types of applications, organizations will find it easier than ever before to capture and analyze information so that they can make effective business decisions," informed Microsoft.
The Redmond Company informed that the Visual Studio Orcas March 2007 CTP is available as a Virtual PC image or as a self-extracting image. In order to be able to use the Virtual PC image, users will also need Virtual PC or Virtual Server.
Microsoft Pre-release Software Visual Studio Code Name "Orcas" - March 2007 CTP was tested by Softpedia as being 100% Clean and is available for download here.