In the past, Microsoft has taken two years between each update of its Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE), but it is rushing out Visual Studio 2013 less than one year after Visual Studio 2012. The preview of Visual Studio 2013 is expected within a couple of weeks, with general availability by the end of the year.
Microsoft has already revealed some of the new features for the IDE, including improved code-commenting capabilities and integration with the Microsoft System Center IT management platform to improve devops functionality. In addition, Microsoft is adding agile portfolio management, improved team collaboration, and cloud load-testing to its Team Foundation Service. Forrester analyst Jeffrey Hammond, noted, “The features I’ve been briefed on are less about platform compatibility with things like Windows 8.1 and more focused on team collaboration and support for agile teams.”