Hangout for experimental confirmation and demonstration of software, computing, and networking. The exercises don't always work out. The professor is a bumbler and the laboratory assistant is a skanky dufus.
I'm not Writing for VC++ 2008 Express Novice Usage until RTM
Visual Studio 2008 (Orcas) is in its second beta release. The final RTM (release-to-manufacturing) is expected later this year. There will be a Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition too, and it is also available as a beta release. Despite the excitement of this prospect, and all of the encouragement to try out the Beta 2, I will mosey on down that road very slowly and carefully.
I will make no VC++ Novice posts nor provide how-to information for VC++ 2008 until RTM. It is not in the spirit of support for novices to rely on beta releases. Beginners should simply avoid beta versions. There is plenty to be learned using the 2005 release and that will make adjustment to the 2008 RTM easier. I'm also avoiding any use of the beta version in my own development projects. I'll stick to Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition here and on the MSDN Forum for VC++ 2005 Express Edition.
When RTM happens, my first effort will be to review materials developed for VC++ 2005 Express and determine any updates for those working with the VC++ 2008 Express Edition. I will indicate where the information applies to both editions and I might mix the choice of tool in screen shots and examples. At some point, probably fully into 2008, all of my attentions will be on VC++ 2008. When VC++ 2005 is no longer available, I will make further adjustments in the VC++ Novice support materials.
If you enjoy life on the edge of disaster, there are some important precautions and adjustments you'll need to make:
If you are experimenting with the beta, and you require assistance, need to discuss features, or anything else, use the Visual C++ Express Orcas Forum. If you ask questions on the non-beta forums, you will likely not receive an useful or accurate response.
Update: While the Orcas Forum has content that may remain useful, the MSDN Forums for Visual Studio Express Editions apply to the VS 2005 Express and VS 2008 Express released products.
Do not deploy software built with the beta versions. There are usually strong warnings against any redistribution and production use of beta releases. I have not read the Orcas licenses, but I am confident there are warnings about use in production and redeployment of code that depends on beta libraries and DLLs.
When the RTM version is available, rebuild all of your beta projects. The safe approach is to create completely new projects and import your existing beta-developed code. Then rebuild the projects, retest your programs, and only then initiate any deployment (after getting over whatever speed bumps there are in deploying Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition programs).
Visual C++ 2008 Express Features
There are some welcome changes in the packaging expected for VC++ 2008 Express. Here are some available hints:
Nikola Dudar: What's New in Visual C++ 2008 Express for Beta 2 Release of Visual Studio 2008. Nikola Dudar's Weblog (web log), msdn.com, 2007-07-26. This article explains (1) the difference in packaging with the Platform SDK, (2) a simplified XCopy distribution that will work for VC++ 2008 Express executables and (3) the existence of discussions that may lead to some form of availability of MFC and ATL later on.
Visual C++ Development Team: Support Policy for ATL Server Library. Visual C++ Team Blog (web log), msdn.com, 2007-07-27. The ATL Server library will not be part of Visual Studio 2008, but the library has been moved to open-source community development on Codeplex. This is not the same as the basic ATL support and it doesn't address how WTL will be freed up, but there may be a relationship that is worked out in the future.
Daniel Fernandez: Part 1 of 5: What's in Visual Studio Express 2008 Beta 2. Daniel Fernandez's Blog (web log), msdn.com, 2007-08-01. This article does not address any VC++ language enhancements, but it provides this happy news: "All Express products are designed to work side-by-side with both Visual Studio 2005 Express/Pro/VSTS and Visual Studio 2008 Express/Pro/VSTS. This means you could have VB, C#, C++, and VWD Express products install for both 2005 and 2008 and have VSTS [Visual Studio Team System] installed and everything will just work." Follow this blog for additional information on Visual Studio Express 2008 Beta 2. [As of the morning of August 24, no additional parts have appeared.]
Getting the Bits
VS 2008 is now in a public beta. If you want to obtain the bits and see how the software is being packaged, these announcements have what you may be looking for:
Scott Hanselman: VS 2008 and .NET 3.5 Beta 2 Releases Made Easy. Scott Hanselman's ComputerZen.com (web log), 2007-07-27. A great summary and detailed cases for obtaining the Beta 2 ISO images for download.
John Montgomery: VS 2008 Beta 2 Express Editions. A View from Elsewhere (web log), msdn.com, 2007-07-27. Also links to the Coding4Fun Developer Kit (Visual Basic and C# code only, but possibly teething exercises for mapping C# to C++/CLI).
Nicholas Allen: Orcas Beta 2 Released. Nicholas Allen's Indigo Blog (web log), msdn.com, 2007-07-27. Information on the .NET 3.5 Beta 2 Framework downloads.
Scott Guthrie: Fixes for Common VS 2008 and .NET 3.5 Beta2 Issues. ScottGu's Blog (web log), asp.net, 2007-08-04. Remember, this is a beta release. Guthrie provides links to forums (for the latest discussions and peer support) and to Microsoft Connect (for reporting bugs).
Nicholas Allen: Orcas Beta 2 Samples. Nicholas Allen's Indigo Blog (web log), msdn.com, 2007-08-23. Information about updates to the samples of the Orcas Beta 2 SDK.
Visual C++ Futures: Orcas and Beyond
There have also been discussions of the road-map envisioned for Visual C++ in Orcas and beyond Orcas:
S. Somasegar: Visual C++ Features. Somasegar's Weblog, msdn.com, 2007-08-08. A sketch of the current direction of VC++ in Visual Studio 2008 and beyond. The comments are also interesting. [The emphasis of my VC++ Novice and the more-advanced Cybersmith articles will be on native code and on interoperability between C, C++, Java, and .NET, for starters, with VC++ at the center of that tightrope act.]
Herb Sutter: Visual C++ Q&A. Sutter's Mill (web log), 2007-08-08. Leads to more information on development direction for VC++.
Tim Anderson: MFC Not Dead - "Massive Update" Planned. Tim Anderson's ITWriting (web log), 2007-08-24. Observations on the continued investment in Visual C++ and suggestions of where value remains for C/C++ on the Windows platforms.
Visual Studio 2008 Capabilities
Finally, there is additional material on Visual Studio 2008, overall, for users of the full Visual Studio suite:
S. Somasegar: Visual Studio 2008 - MSBuild. Somasegar's Weblog, msdn.com, 2007-08-15. MSBuild is part of Visual C++ Express Edition too, and the changes for VS 2008 are important. We are unlikely to get into VC++ Novice discussions of MSBuild before VC++ 2008 Express Edition ships, but I'll likely cover that tool and its rich applications later on. It is a great illustration of a toolcraft chasm (along with solution files, project files, and similar whatnots).
S. Somasegar: Debugging and Profiling Features in VS2008. Somasegar's Weblog, msdn.com, 2007-09-13. I don't expect to see any of this in VC++ 2008 Express Edition and it's not clear what the lowest level of VS 2008 will have all of this functionality. Just so you know the kind of thing you might be missing in the Express Editions if your ambition is serious industrial-grade development effort with teams of developers. But starting out, there's more than enough to learn with Express (think single-engine propeller) before flexing up to VS 2008 full-feature (think space shuttle).
I have some pent-up materials for VC++ Novices and Cybersmiths that I am posting in the order in which they are easy to complete, not necessarily a careful progression. It will be a bit random for a time. I will update this page as more clarity becomes available.
[update 2008-02-08T17:03: Reviewed links and added ones for the product-level MSDN Forums. update 2007-11-19T23:40Z: Added link to availabiity of Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition update 2007-09-15T19:10: Added latest feature description from Somasegar. update 2007-08-31T14:52Z: After seeing requests for help on VC++ 2008 start to appear on the VC++ 2005 Express Edition Forum, I added further caveats in a new section near the top. I streamlined the introductory material a little too. update 2007-08-25T19:29Z: I added a caveat about where to get assistance and I cleaned up the opening paragraphs a lot. It was late.]
