Microsoft unveils Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4

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Microsoft has confirmed general availability for the latest versions of two of its flagship developer products.

Both Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 are available to developers today, with Microsoft promising more flexibility and support for a more feature-rich environment.

The company also confirmed that Silverlight 4 will be released online this week with further tools to aid developers.

“The functionality of Visual Studio 2010, .NET Framework 4 and Silverlight 4 creates a powerful and unique combination, opening up new opportunities for developers to build applications that take advantage of new and existing devices, as well as emerging platforms like cloud services,” Bob Muglia, president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft, said in a statement.

Visual Studio 2010 has built-in support for Windows 7 multi-touch and, for the first time, integrated access to SharePoint.

There are also Windows Azure tools to help with the development of cloud applications, whie integrated phone designs in Visual Studio will make Windows Phone 7 Series developers' lives easier.

The .NET Framework 4 release claims it reduces runtime by 80 per cent along with an increase in language choice and new support for high-performance, middle-tier applications, including parallel programming.

Version 4 of Silverlight has grown its out-of-browser capabilities with enhancements for enterprise application developers, alongside more than 60 customisable, pre-written controls for quick and easy app building.

Microsoft confirmed that about 50 partners have already announced products using these new technologies, which are proving to be successful.

Peter Duffell, vice president of Strategic Partners at Micro Focus – one such partner – said in a statement: “Our customers rely on us to solve for the unique needs of their businesses, and in order to do that, we need tools and technologies that enable maximum efficiency, reliability, integration and creativity.”

He added: “Our next-generation developer tools build on the already-proven capabilities of Visual Studio, .NET Framework and Silverlight and expand the value to our customers even further.”

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