The main use case for Microsoft Visual Studio is module development and software development, and I do some unit test work as well.
Visual Studio Professional 2022
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Streamlined development enhances productivity with valuable integration and intuitive features
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Microsoft Visual Studio's integration with Git and Team Foundation Server is the most valuable. We can work on branches, check work out, merge work in, and resolve conflicts with it, so those are all good features in Microsoft Visual Studio.
I have used IntelliSense in Microsoft Visual Studio, and when you hover over a data type, you can see that you can get more information about it and its interface, which is a good feature.
The debugging tools in Microsoft Visual Studio are very good at helping me pinpoint issues with precision.
The Git integration in Microsoft Visual Studio is brilliant.
The main benefits Microsoft Visual Studio provides include streamlining processes, and it's fairly intuitive, where most of what I need to do can be accessed from the dropdown menus. It takes a lot of the tricky part out because you've got it all there in an integrated development environment (IDE).
What needs improvement?
Based on my experience and my colleagues' feedback, I believe a potential area of improvement for Microsoft Visual Studio could be incorporating more AI, as it makes things easier for us, and having more intelligence in the tool would be beneficial.
In terms of functionality, I am mostly satisfied with Microsoft Visual Studio, but I would suggest that it provides more help with being able to use design patterns.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Visual Studio for approximately 12 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, I would rate Microsoft Visual Studio an eight.
How are customer service and support?
I have had some experience with tech support from Microsoft, and I would rate them a seven, although I haven't had to really use any desk support from them.
I would rate tech support from Microsoft an eight, as I'm sure they're good, but we just haven't had to deal with them that much.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Microsoft Visual Studio isn't too difficult.
What other advice do I have?
The stability of Microsoft Visual Studio is excellent, deserving a rating of 10.
Microsoft Visual Studio is the best tool that we've got currently, and I don't have any complaints about it. I give it a final rating of 10 out of 10.
Integration with various tools enhances debugging effectiveness and user experience
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
For how long have I used the solution?
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
How are customer service and support?
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
What about the implementation team?
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
What other advice do I have?
Intuitive database technology with robust integrated development environment, offering high scalability, excellent collaboration features and strong stability
What is our primary use case?
We use it for comprehensive support in software development, encompassing tasks such as code writing, unit testing, and deployment to both cloud and on-premises services.
How has it helped my organization?
It proved versatile for diverse purposes, serving as a valuable tool for developing solutions across web, desktop, and mobile platforms. It facilitated not only coding activities but also aided in managing repositories and deploying applications to various environments, whether they be cloud-based or on-premises infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
Within Visual Support, there are three versions available, each housed in distinct containers. I'm focusing on the Enterprise version due to its customizable nature. This version boasts additional features, such as a pricing application for enhanced functionality and comprehensive unit testing coverage. The testing capabilities extend to diverse features, providing a thorough examination of different aspects. Notably, the Enterprise version facilitates seamless integration with Microsoft products, leveraging the ease of connectivity within the Microsoft ecosystem. Moreover, it supports integration with open-source products, including Python, allowing for a flexible and inclusive approach to development.
What needs improvement?
When using Visual Support for web development, challenges arise when specific components require hardware configurations beyond the application's scope. Efforts are directed at enhancing the IDE and introducing features for seamless collaboration, extending to Azure with the Explore version. This version incorporates "live share," enabling real-time code collaboration among team members. Despite its advantages, challenges in diverse cloud environments may prompt the uninstallation of the application or entire development environment for resolution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with it for approximately thirteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is noteworthy because Visual Studio offers both a release and a preview version. The release version is reliable, free of issues, and suitable for general use. However, for those seeking additional features and improvements, the preview version is available. This version allows users to test new features directly and report any issues to the community for resolution. While encountering some issues in the preview version, they are typically addressed promptly through community feedback, resulting in a stable and refined release version shortly thereafter. I would rate it eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
High scalability makes it a strong recommendation, especially for enterprise-level development, given its robust capabilities as an integrated development environment. I would rate it ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I've interacted with Microsoft support, but the community support for Visual Studio testing has been particularly outstanding. Unlike conventional support, the community channels provide an open and collaborative environment, similar to open-source platforms. This allows users to easily report issues, open discussions, and communicate effectively, making it a gateway to a more responsive and interactive support experience.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Having used various products at different companies, I must highlight that Microsoft's development technology, particularly in the realm of databases, has proven to be more intuitive and superior. It demonstrated a higher level of user-friendliness and efficiency.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. Simply download the controller and proceed with the installation, selecting the desired options for a new environment and clicking through the prompts. I would rate it nine out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
Setting it up in the initial stages used to be a time-consuming process, often taking more than an hour. This was primarily due to the need to download setup data, often distributed on CDs or DVDs, and then proceed with the installation. Additionally, a decade ago, machines were not as swift, further extending the setup time. However, in recent years, there's been a more efficient option. Users now have two options: an online installation and an offline installation. For the online version, users simply download it and direct it to the storage directory on their machines.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing varies depending on the version, and with three options available (Community, Professional, and Enterprise), you can choose based on your needs. While the enterprise version can be relatively expensive due to its comprehensive features, I find the license I currently possess to be reasonable, considering it includes the full suite without additional activations or charges.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rat it ten out of ten.
Allows for easy integration with other tools such as MS Teams
What is our primary use case?
We use Visual Studio for website development and related tasks. It's been quite helpful for us.
What is most valuable?
From a professional perspective, I've been using Visual Studio since childhood, so I find it very useful. The code analysis tool is particularly valuable as it eliminates the need for manual code reviews.
Many essential features are built-in, making it a great tool. Additionally, it allows for easy integration with other tools like MS Teams, which enhances its usefulness.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes, the deprecation of packages can be a challenge. Although Visual Studio provides suggestions when we compile and encounter deprecated packages, it can still be confusing. Even after multiple attempts, we may struggle to fix these deprecated packages and related issues. So, it is one of the areas of improvement in Visual Studio.
I have been working on a website that I inherited from a client, and when I tried to run it on my system, I discovered that some of the packages were either depreciated or no longer in use. It would be helpful if Visual Studio could suggest and handle such unused packages in a more user-friendly manner.
I am suggesting this as an area of improvement because recently I was working on a bigger client project. The project was functioning correctly on my system but not on another system. Later, I found that some packages were depreciated, which might have caused the issue. However, we couldn't determine the exact reason for the difference in behavior because we used the same ZIP file and the same Visual Studio version. Then, when the person tried to run the same code on her system, it didn't work. It seemed to be related to the deprecated packages. Ultimately, the solution we eventually found was to set up a new system for her, reinstalling Microsoft Visual Studio and related components.
Another area that could greatly benefit from Microsoft within Visual Studio is unit testing. It's a pain point for every software developer. If Microsoft can provide better tools or features related to unit testing, it would be really helpful. Especially when working on complex projects, writing comprehensive test cases can be time-consuming. However, clients often cannot afford to pay for that additional time in the competitive market.
So in future releases, having some automation capabilities or built-in support for generating test cases would be great. Although we can integrate third-party automation testing tools, they are often paid solutions. For example, I've noticed the presence of plugins like ChatGPT in Visual Studio Code, but I'm not fully aware of their capabilities. Therefore, if Visual Studio could offer some level of automation for test cases, it would be a valuable addition.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Visual Studio for over 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Visual Studio a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft has gained a lot of confidence in the market, so I would rate the scalability of Visual Studio around eight out of ten.
Based on my recent experience, sometimes, we faced difficulties with the same set of codes. Therefore, considering the recent incident, I leaned toward an eight and not a ten for scalability.
In my company, around 20 people are using this solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple. Microsoft has made it very easy to set up.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Price-wise, it is good. We are using the paid versions, and the price is reasonable. For our company, it's a genuine price.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have only worked with Visual Studio.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate it a ten. It's very user-friendly and feature-rich.
However, there's always room for improvement in the product. Features like automation test cases to meet market requirements would be beneficial.