On September 12, Microsoft formally launched Visual Studio 2012, the most recent update to its flagship IDE. Microsoft’s Soma Somasegar called it “the best development tool to enable developers to build ‘modern apps’ for connected devices.” The release includes features to enable Agile software development as well as an enhanced interface, improved search capabilities and support for more programming languages and models.
At the same time, Microsoft also announced the availability of two free tools: Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop and F# Tools for Visual Studio Express 2012 for Web. In addition, it debuted TFS Power Tools for Visual Studio 2012 and Productivity Power Tools for Visual Studio 2012, both of which are available for download. The company also revealed plans to release the first update for Visual Studio 2012 before the end of the year.
