Even if VS2008 offered no new features over VS2005 it would still be a great environment with which to build websites. As you would expect from Microsoft, though, VS2008 has been significantly improved, especially for web developers. And here’s why:
- The use of AJAX cannot be ignored
VS2008 now includes AJAX-enabled website projects by default, IntelliSense for JavaScript, and a debugger for it, too.
- Expression Web
Microsoft released a new suite of applications for designers rather than developers in 2007 under the Expression umbrella name. Microsoft designed and fitted the Expression Web product, which also replaces FrontPage, with a brand-new and much-improved HTML and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) editor. It is now a shared component between Expression Web and VS2008.
- Scott Guthrie
The man who invented ASP.NET now also has a significant influence over the development of Visual Studio. In fact, he’s now corporate vice president for the .NET Developer Division.
Chapter 2 includes a complete rundown of the new features in VS2008.
Get Programming ASP.NET 3.5, 4th Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
