Microsoft Delivers a Blow to Open Source with Visual Studio 11 - hallwhats1993

Microsoft has already ruffled more than a hardly a feathers with the exclusionary potential of its outgoing Windows 8 operative system, and this past week the open source community has been up in implements of war again.

The cause this time has been its Visual Studio 11 product line, new details about which the company published earlier this month.

Specifically, it looks like the extricated, Express version of the upcoming new product–widely used away many developers to create unconstricted source background applications for Windows–will no longer offer support for screen background-style applications. Rather, users of Visual Studio apartment 11 Convey bequeath only be fit to develop Metro applications.

Metro Lonesome

"Visual Studio apartment 11 Express for Windows 8 provides tools for Underground manner app development," notes Microsoft's Visual Studio website. "To create desktop apps, you involve to utilization Optical Studio apartment 11 Professional, or high."

Visual Studio 11 Business, of course, is far from free, with its $499 price.

Microsoft's Visual Studio apartment 2010 Express products will still beryllium on tap for free download, the party notes, but they lack a number of key features climax to Visual Studio 11, including improved standards compliance.

Another adaptation called Visual Studio 11 Express for Network will focus on HTML and JavaScript websites.

Meanwhile, to make sure there's no cheating, the Windows SDK for Windows 8 no thirster ships with a complete program line-line of credit build environment, Microsoft says.

A Strike Against Open Source

Now, it's no secret wherefore Microsoft would deprivation to push developers towards Metro, apps for which will obviously play a key role in the adoption of the forthcoming OS.

Taken in junction with the Secure Boot out restrictions that appear to get on the way in Windows 8, however, it's hard to see this latest go up as anything other than a strike against open source computer software.

Bottom line? Microsoft may be pledging new allegiance to undecided seed, but such steps are a bit difficult to take seriously when moves like this are happening at the cookie-cutter time.