Yawn. Let me know when they come out with Mac (and other platforms) versions of Project and Visio.
Does anyone actually use VS for any serious development? I know we sure don't, but then again we develop primarily in Linux.
There is a viewer for Visio for the Mac, but obviously you can't create or edit. If they ever did have a version of Visio for the Mac, I could work from home. I do all my screen mockups in Visio.
Is OmniGraffle not powerful enough? It includes an option to export to Visio.
Sounds great to me. I'm an enterprise dev and most of my work is C# in VS.NET. The .NET Core subset has been steadily growing with more platform-agnostic libraries and APIs, which is great. Especially if you're building your functionality around services for consumption by other client apps who can be using whatever.
I haven't tried this yet, but I'd be pretty surprised if they don't support Swift. Tho if doing something native to iOS I'd likely still prefer to go w/ Xcode just to remove added layers.
Have fun. It just crashes when I try to install it. Since I have Xamarin Studio and VS Code installed and they work fine, this feels unnecessary, rather than essential.
I've used every version of the Microsoft dev tools since Visual C++ 2.1, after coming over from the Borland C++ toolset. As others have said, this version of Visual Studio for Mac is unlike the contemporary Windows based Visual Studio product in almost every way. Windows programmers expecting to see the full Windows/WPF-based VS IDE running natively on the Mac will likely be disappointed. This may or may not be a big deal for newer developers who don't have the huge investment in learning and mastering the legacy VS IDE and its relationship to the massive and constantly expanding collections of Windows programming APIs and libraries. Even many old timers will admit that VS has become overly feature laden over the years, the kitchen-sink pattern that every Microsoft product eventually falls into.
The saving grace for the bloated IDEs like VS has been the broad availability of affordable large monitors so the code editing window isn't relegated to little more than a tiny toolbar sized sliver. But VS is still a huge pile of features and many coders will still fall back to simpler editors like Notepad++ to handle simple tasks instead of firing up the massive VS IDE. Additionally, some of the integrated tools in VS aren't as powerful as standalone products from Microsoft and others that are focused on a narrower capability, like debugging. But the real impediment to slimming down Visual Studio is the constant, seemingly exponential growth in new APIs (and to some extent programming language expansion) while still having to content with legacy APIs and dependencies on supporting runtimes.
It's very easy for individual developers and the organizations that they work for to spend an enormous amount of time and money diddling around with the constant changes and expansion in Visual Studio and Microsoft development technology while only delivering tiny incremental improvements in the value of the actual products that are being delivered to end customers and put in the hands of end users. Developers get obsessed with making the sausage, something that Visual Studio delivers in spades, but much of the effort is repetitive, e.g., rewriting the same feature set using a new language, API, or runtime library. The delivered value to the customer application does not usually reflect the increased cost that was put into building the product version. But Microsoft wins either way because they sell more dev tools and lock more end users into the Microsoft platform.
Perhaps this is the pessimistic perspective. I love modern C++ and C# as much as anyone, I really do, but Microsoft's maximilistic approach that's reflected in the Visual Studio products has defocused an entire generation (or two) of developers and I find lighter weight options and languages like Python and Swift to be compelling and a return to simpler times, where the relationship between the developer's brain and his/her code was via the code itself rather than a massive and expansive IDE that the developer becomes a slave to serving.
I've used every version of the Microsoft dev tools since Visual C++ 2.1, after coming over from the Borland C++ toolset. As others have said, this version of Visual Studio for Mac is unlike the contemporary Windows based Visual Studio product in almost every way. Windows programmers expecting to see the full Windows/WPF-based VS IDE running natively on the Mac will likely be disappointed. This may or may not be a big deal for newer developers who don't have the huge investment in learning and mastering the legacy VS IDE and its relationship to the massive and constantly expanding collections of Windows programming APIs and libraries. Even many old timers will admit that VS has become overly feature laden over the years, the kitchen-sink pattern that every Microsoft product eventually falls into.
The saving grace for the bloated IDEs like VS has been the broad availability of affordable large monitors so the code editing window isn't relegated to little more than a tiny toolbar sized sliver. But VS is still a huge pile of features and many coders will still fall back to simpler editors like Notepad++ to handle simple tasks instead of firing up the massive VS IDE. Additionally, some of the integrated tools in VS aren't as powerful as standalone products from Microsoft and others that are focused on a narrower capability, like debugging. But the real impediment to slimming down Visual Studio is the constant, seemingly exponential growth in new APIs (and to some extent programming language expansion) while still having to content with legacy APIs and dependencies on supporting runtimes.
It's very easy for individual developers and the organizations that they work for to spend an enormous amount of time and money diddling around with the constant changes and expansion in Visual Studio and Microsoft development technology while only delivering tiny incremental improvements in the value of the actual products that are being delivered to end customers and put in the hands of end users. Developers get obsessed with making the sausage, something that Visual Studio delivers in spades, but much of the effort is repetitive, e.g., rewriting the same feature set using a new language, API, or runtime library. The delivered value to the customer application does not usually reflect the increased cost that was put into building the product version. But Microsoft wins either way because they sell more dev tools and lock more end users into the Microsoft platform.
Perhaps this is the pessimistic perspective. I love modern C++ and C# as much as anyone, I really do, but Microsoft's maximilistic approach that's reflected in the Visual Studio products has defocused an entire generation (or two) of developers and I find lighter weight options and languages like Python and Swift to be compelling and a return to simpler times, where the relationship between the developer's brain and his/her code was via the code itself rather than a massive and expansive IDE that the developer becomes a slave to serving.
Visual Studio Code, I think is their take on next-gen minimalist IDE. It's quite mature and modern and runs fast on the Mac. The Windows version of Visual Studio Proper is a bloated mess. Internally, it still supports extension via COM, which means its own internal architecture is pretty old. And the buried menus that are in some cases 3 pop-up menus deep feels clunky, like the newer parts were tacked on as afterthoughts.
If this Mac version of so-called Visual Studio is nothing but a reskinned Xamarin Studio, then I'm fine with that, but since I already have Xamarin, why does this need to exist? It feels like a marketing thing.
Yawn. Let me know when they come out with Mac (and other platforms) versions of Project and Visio.
Does anyone actually use VS for any serious development? I know we sure don't, but then again we develop primarily in Linux.
There is a viewer for Visio for the Mac, but obviously you can't create or edit. If they ever did have a version of Visio for the Mac, I could work from home. I do all my screen mockups in Visio.
OmniGraffle Pro for Mac works with Visio files and it blows away Visio as a diagramming tool. Frankly, Visio hasn't kept up at all. https://www.omnigroup.com/omnigraffle/
In recent years -- under CEO Satya Nadella -- the company has loosened its resistance to supporting non-Windows hardware, so long as it gets people using other Microsoft products. One of the first big motions in this direction was the debut of Office for iPad in 2014.
No, Microsoft is embracing Mac and Linux recently because Cloud business is where it's at and Microsoft is losing serious business as a result. The popularity of Windows server platforms is shrinking as Cloud is growing at an enormous pace. They've had to allow Linux on Azure, support Docker, port SQL Server to Linux, add Linux scripting to Win10, port PowerShell to Linux, and now they bring Visual Studio to Mac because the preferred solution for developers building Cloud systems and solutions is the MacBook Pro. IBM has internally deployed 60,000+ Macs in the last couple of years as they pivoted to Enterprise iOS development.
Apple Mac's are developer dream machines and all the developer tools are absolutely free. So what if they cost a few hundred more than an equivalent PC? They tend to last longer and require much less IT support. It costs you $100/yr to sign and publish iOS/Mac apps to the Apple stores. Otherwise you could develop in whatever language you wish. C, C++, Obj-C, Java, JavaScript, Node.js, Ruby, Python, Perl, etc., etc. You have ssh built-in and a real terminal where ViM / Emacs rule. It's crazy simple to install open source developer tools using Homebrew. Many Unix/Linux developers prefer a GNU Screen / Tmux session into their Cloud environment and if that's what you are doing you could just use the 2lb MacBook Retina which is underpowered for many solutions but perfect for an online ssh session. That's 9 hours of battery life, the ability to activate an iPhone or iPad's Personal Hotspot in an ultra portable lightweight reliable laptop. Use a MacBook Pro and you can run virtual machines with VMware, Parallels, or VirtualBox.Docker, etc. Plus Microsoft Office 2016 (rewritten natively and very fast) as well as Adobe tools, etc., etc. Heck, run Win10 in a VM if you have to. It's a killer solution. It's a lot harder to use a PC as the Mac offers so much more in the realm of possibilities. Sure there are more powerful PC's on the market but when mostly what you do is write plain text code you really don't need a lot of horsepower to develop Cloud solutions as the power is on the servers.
Xamarin is great tech for publishing a mobile App to iOS and Android using the same C# code base. The latest version is a big improvement as you can load the code directly on a device and test without needing a Mac to sign and publish but you still need a Mac eventually. Some shops have a few Mac Mini's just for that purpose. But if you really want to do it right on iOS with an advanced iOS app you still need to write a native iOS App using Xcode Obj-C or Swift and Android's development tools. Many enterprises are using Xamarin but their Apps are frankly, limited when compared to a native solution. Android is more costly to develop for over Apple, there is still a vast difference in hardware models and OS versions (fragmentation). So you need to buy a whole lot of different Android devices depending on what's popular and new. Where iOS is the same and doesn't require testing every single model iPhone, iPad.
VisualStudio only matters to enterprise developers accustomed to it and Microsoft is hoping they won't jump ship to developing in the dominate Linux Cloud platform using a Mac but if they do they can still charge them for access to MSDN subscriptions. The way things are going, Microsoft would be stuck in a shrinking niche market if they don't embrace Linux and Mac. Fortunately, Ballmer is out and Nadella sees the writing on the wall.
Comments
The saving grace for the bloated IDEs like VS has been the broad availability of affordable large monitors so the code editing window isn't relegated to little more than a tiny toolbar sized sliver. But VS is still a huge pile of features and many coders will still fall back to simpler editors like Notepad++ to handle simple tasks instead of firing up the massive VS IDE. Additionally, some of the integrated tools in VS aren't as powerful as standalone products from Microsoft and others that are focused on a narrower capability, like debugging. But the real impediment to slimming down Visual Studio is the constant, seemingly exponential growth in new APIs (and to some extent programming language expansion) while still having to content with legacy APIs and dependencies on supporting runtimes.
It's very easy for individual developers and the organizations that they work for to spend an enormous amount of time and money diddling around with the constant changes and expansion in Visual Studio and Microsoft development technology while only delivering tiny incremental improvements in the value of the actual products that are being delivered to end customers and put in the hands of end users. Developers get obsessed with making the sausage, something that Visual Studio delivers in spades, but much of the effort is repetitive, e.g., rewriting the same feature set using a new language, API, or runtime library. The delivered value to the customer application does not usually reflect the increased cost that was put into building the product version. But Microsoft wins either way because they sell more dev tools and lock more end users into the Microsoft platform.
Perhaps this is the pessimistic perspective. I love modern C++ and C# as much as anyone, I really do, but Microsoft's maximilistic approach that's reflected in the Visual Studio products has defocused an entire generation (or two) of developers and I find lighter weight options and languages like Python and Swift to be compelling and a return to simpler times, where the relationship between the developer's brain and his/her code was via the code itself rather than a massive and expansive IDE that the developer becomes a slave to serving.
If this Mac version of so-called Visual Studio is nothing but a reskinned Xamarin Studio, then I'm fine with that, but since I already have Xamarin, why does this need to exist? It feels like a marketing thing.
OmniGraffle Pro for Mac works with Visio files and it blows away Visio as a diagramming tool. Frankly, Visio hasn't kept up at all.
https://www.omnigroup.com/omnigraffle/
No, Microsoft is embracing Mac and Linux recently because Cloud business is where it's at and Microsoft is losing serious business as a result. The popularity of Windows server platforms is shrinking as Cloud is growing at an enormous pace. They've had to allow Linux on Azure, support Docker, port SQL Server to Linux, add Linux scripting to Win10, port PowerShell to Linux, and now they bring Visual Studio to Mac because the preferred solution for developers building Cloud systems and solutions is the MacBook Pro. IBM has internally deployed 60,000+ Macs in the last couple of years as they pivoted to Enterprise iOS development.
Apple Mac's are developer dream machines and all the developer tools are absolutely free. So what if they cost a few hundred more than an equivalent PC? They tend to last longer and require much less IT support. It costs you $100/yr to sign and publish iOS/Mac apps to the Apple stores. Otherwise you could develop in whatever language you wish. C, C++, Obj-C, Java, JavaScript, Node.js, Ruby, Python, Perl, etc., etc. You have ssh built-in and a real terminal where ViM / Emacs rule. It's crazy simple to install open source developer tools using Homebrew. Many Unix/Linux developers prefer a GNU Screen / Tmux session into their Cloud environment and if that's what you are doing you could just use the 2lb MacBook Retina which is underpowered for many solutions but perfect for an online ssh session. That's 9 hours of battery life, the ability to activate an iPhone or iPad's Personal Hotspot in an ultra portable lightweight reliable laptop. Use a MacBook Pro and you can run virtual machines with VMware, Parallels, or VirtualBox.Docker, etc. Plus Microsoft Office 2016 (rewritten natively and very fast) as well as Adobe tools, etc., etc. Heck, run Win10 in a VM if you have to. It's a killer solution. It's a lot harder to use a PC as the Mac offers so much more in the realm of possibilities. Sure there are more powerful PC's on the market but when mostly what you do is write plain text code you really don't need a lot of horsepower to develop Cloud solutions as the power is on the servers.
Xamarin is great tech for publishing a mobile App to iOS and Android using the same C# code base. The latest version is a big improvement as you can load the code directly on a device and test without needing a Mac to sign and publish but you still need a Mac eventually. Some shops have a few Mac Mini's just for that purpose. But if you really want to do it right on iOS with an advanced iOS app you still need to write a native iOS App using Xcode Obj-C or Swift and Android's development tools. Many enterprises are using Xamarin but their Apps are frankly, limited when compared to a native solution. Android is more costly to develop for over Apple, there is still a vast difference in hardware models and OS versions (fragmentation). So you need to buy a whole lot of different Android devices depending on what's popular and new. Where iOS is the same and doesn't require testing every single model iPhone, iPad.
VisualStudio only matters to enterprise developers accustomed to it and Microsoft is hoping they won't jump ship to developing in the dominate Linux Cloud platform using a Mac but if they do they can still charge them for access to MSDN subscriptions. The way things are going, Microsoft would be stuck in a shrinking niche market if they don't embrace Linux and Mac. Fortunately, Ballmer is out and Nadella sees the writing on the wall.