Visual Studio IDE - Good, but Heavy
Overall Satisfaction with Visual Studio IDE
We are using Visual Studio IDE for two primary purposes. One is application development and maintenance using primarily c#. The other is for data development, mainly using SQL Server Data Tools/extensions for SSAS, SSIS, and SSRS. This is beginning to shift somewhat on the application development as they are beginning to leverage the VS Code. On the data side, we are heavy users of Visual Studio IDE for SQL suite development and will continue to be so long as we leverage SSAS, SSIS, and SSRS.
Pros
- Provides a single interface for developing across tools
- Updates have become much easier as the SQL tools have moved to extensions.
- The IDE install/update process has become more streamlined over the years..
- Integration with Azure DevOps is now excellent and continues to improve.
Cons
- Continuing instability with the IDE, which often results in uninstall/reinstall to remedy issues.
- Still somewhat bloated even when slimming down the installed options
- Overkill for some development (VS Code, the better choice for specific patterns)
- Developers largely using a single tool simplifies understanding.
- A subscription is relatively costly, so maybe cost-prohibitive for a small shop.
- For larger shops, the subscriptions come with quite a few additional training services, free Azure time, etc.
While I am not a Java developer, I have used NetBeans in the past. I found the NetBeans interface to be more intuitive than the Visual Studio IDE. However, it was also more limited in scope. VS Code, on the other hand, is simplicity itself. It is excellent as just a text editor, but with the wide array of first and third-party add-ons, it is an excellent general development tool. We have begun using the Azure Data Studio offshoot for SQL data development. However, for a full-featured IDE that can do pretty much everything (this can also be a drawback), the Visual Studio IDE is excellent.
Do you think Microsoft Visual Studio delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Microsoft Visual Studio's feature set?
Yes
Did Microsoft Visual Studio live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Microsoft Visual Studio go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Microsoft Visual Studio again?
Yes
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