Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is sharing Microsoft Visual Studio with other tech companies, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).
The company unveiled the well-known integrated Development Environment (IDE) is now available for Android, iOS, MacOS, and Linux. The announcement came on Wednesday at the Microsoft Connect 2016 Conference held in New York.
Microsoft Visual Studio is a developer tool to create applications of Windows operating system, as well as websites and web-based apps.
The billionaire enterprise has been on a path to make its technology open-source. Under the direction of CEO Satya Nadella, the motto of Visual Studio says “Any developer, Any App, Any Platform.”
The changes are outside of Microsoft’s comfort zone, as it is the first time they will share their powerful tool with their strongest rivals. The preview version of the suite is already available for download from Microsft’s website.
What is Microsoft Visual Studio?
It is an IDE that provides design, edit, profile, and debug options on a single tool. The software offers visual designers, Intellisense code completion, intelligent refactoring, and a universal search across files, commands, and NuGets.
The Visual Studio has a built-in Xamarin Test Cloud so that users can test the apps they create with the tooI. It also integrates with thousands of third-party resources such as Git, Subversion, and NuGet packages.
The entire client of the IDE is on the cloud, and it has.NET Core ad Azure connectivity. It creates a complete experience from through the whole server in a single language.
The preview will allow programmers build native apps for the cloud, iOS, Android, and MacOS using a C# language, a general-purpose code Microsoft created. However, it will not let Mac users develop for Windows OS.
Reports suggest is not the actual Visual Studio that is coming to Mac
Ars Technica outlet said MacOS would get a re-branded version of Xamarin Studio, a cross-platform C# development environment.
Microsoft bought the California-based maker of the software, Xamarin, earlier this year. So it means Mac users will get a different product from Windows’ Visual Studio, a more capable product than Xamarin Studio.
Microsoft also released Visual Studio 2017
The company released Visual Studio 2017 for Windows in Community, Professional, and Enterprise Editions.
The 2017 version of the software has several improvements over its predecessor. The biggest change is making it easier to install, upgrade, and uninstall. Other changes include improvements to speed, IntelliSense, code navigation, debugging, and more.
Source: Visual Studio