Microsoft has released Visual Studio 17.8 as part of its .NET 8 release wave, with hundreds of new features including stronger Git pull request support, IntelliTest test generation for modern .NET, and tools for cross-platform developers including MAUI (Multi-platform App UI).
There are hundreds of new features though most will be familiar to developers from preview versions. Seemingly minor changes can make a big difference to coders, like case-preserving Find and Replace, already a feature of VS Code, which replaces “oneThing” with “anotherThing” and “OneThing” with “AnotherThing” in a single operation.
Microsoft’s Adrian Murphy, Senior Lead Technical Program Manager, makes a point of the “emphasis on community-driven enhancements.” While there is truth in this, developers may wonder why features take so long to deliver. Case-preserving Find and Replace is an issue from 2019.
Visual Studio 17.8 is the latest version of Microsoft’s integrated development environment (IDE) that offers a comprehensive suite of enhancements that span productivity, programming languages, and enterprise management1. Some of the new features are:
- GitHub Copilot: A code completion tool that uses artificial intelligence to suggest code snippets based on your context and intent1. You can also create and manage pull requests right from the IDE2.
- Unreal Engine support: A set of features that make it easier to develop games using Unreal Engine, such as code snippets, macro specifier suggestions, and structured diagnostics12.
- .NET 8 integration: Full compatibility with the latest version of .NET, which includes new features such as records, init-only properties, and top-level statements13.
- F# improvements: A number of enhancements for F# developers, such as a new code fix, improved autocompletion, and reduced noise in parameter name hints12.
- Cross-platform debugging: The ability to debug applications running on Linux, Docker, or WSL using the Visual Studio debugger12.
- Test Profiling: A new feature that allows you to measure the performance of your tests using the Visual Studio Profiler12.
These are just some of the highlights of Visual Studio 17.8. You can find more details and download the latest version from the official website1.
Some of the features that are expected or requested by the Visual Studio community but not released in Visual Studio 17.8 are:
- Multiple Git repositories: The ability to have more than one Git repository active at the same time in the same solution1. This feature has 278 votes and 68 comments on the Developer Community site1.
- Full Git submodule support: The ability to manage and work with Git submodules in Visual Studio1. This feature has 188 votes and 39 comments on the Developer Community site1.
- IntelliTest support for .NET Core/Standard: The ability to use IntelliTest, a tool that automatically generates unit tests for your code, with .NET Core and .NET Standard projects1. This feature has 120 votes and 37 comments on the Developer Community site1.
- VB.NET support for .NET 8 WPF/Windows Forms projects: The ability to use VB.NET, a popular programming language, with the latest version of .NET for creating desktop applications1. This feature has 103 votes and 266 comments on the Developer Community site1.
These are some of the most popular and requested features that are not yet available in Visual Studio 17.8. You can find more feature requests and suggestions on the Developer Community site1.
Visual Studio Competition:
Yes, Visual Studio has some competition from other IDEs that offer similar or different features and capabilities for software development. Some of the best alternatives to Visual Studio are:
- Visual Studio Code: A free, open source, and lightweight code editor that supports multiple programming languages and platforms. It also has a rich ecosystem of extensions and integrations with popular tools and services1.
- Xcode: Apple’s free IDE for developing applications for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It has a powerful editor, a fast compiler, a graphical interface builder, and many other tools and frameworks2.
- Eclipse: A free and popular IDE that supports Java, C/C++, PHP, Python, and many other languages. It has a modular architecture that allows users to customize and extend it with plugins13.
- NetBeans: A free and open source IDE that focuses on Java, but also supports other languages such as PHP, HTML5, C/C++, and more. It has a user-friendly interface, a code analyzer, a debugger, and a GUI builder12.
- IntelliJ IDEA: A paid and powerful IDE that supports Java, Kotlin, Scala, and other JVM-based languages. It has intelligent code completion, refactoring, debugging, testing, and code analysis tools13.
A Brief Comparision
- JetBrains Rider: This IDE supports multiple Git repositories and full Git submodule support. You can manage, view, and debug multiple repositories in one instance of Rider, and use the extended branch creation dialog, the network operations dialog, and the Git Repository Settings page to work with submodules12.
- Eclipse: This IDE supports multiple Git repositories and partial Git submodule support. You can add multiple Git repositories as separate roots in Eclipse, and use the EGit plugin to work with submodules, although some operations are not supported345.
- Visual Studio Code: This IDE supports multiple Git repositories and partial Git submodule support. You can open multiple folders that contain different Git repositories in the same workspace, and use the GitLens extension to work with submodules, although some operations are not supported67.
- However, none of the Visual Studio competitors seem to offer IntelliTest support or VB.NET support for .NET 8 WPF/Windows Forms projects. IntelliTest is a unique feature of Visual Studio that automatically generates unit tests for your code, and VB.NET is a programming language that is mainly supported by Visual Studio and .NET Framework891011. Therefore, if you want to use these features, you might want to stick with Visual Studio.
Source: DEVCLASS
