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I developed a small winforms application for myself in Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition at my workplace, the Visual Studio is licensed to the firm I work at.
If I want to sell that application, what are my license options?
EDIT:
The issue here is not my relationship with my employer (the code was written after hours, we have an understanding) but my relationship with Microsoft.
Ex. if I continue developing in Visual Studio Express can I keep my old code? Is there a way to verify if some assemblies were written using a Visual Studio Professional?
I would say that depended more on your contract with your employer rather than the licensing of Visual Studio itself. If it's a properly licensed copy, then the issue lies solely with your employer.
A lot of developer's contracts do state that any code written whilst at work, or on the employer's equipment, or even at any time whilst employed, belongs to the employer.
If that is not the case, I'd download a copy of Visual Studio Express, and do any further development on your own system, just to cover yourself.
I'm not a lawyer, but generally if you develop something at work, using your employer's tools, then they own it, not you.
If you have an "understanding" get it in writing. If your product turns out to be a money maker then you'll be glad you did.
As for Visual Studio, you should be fine distributing the application with whatever license you choose. If you want to keep developing at home, move it over to Express (you can keep your code, but may have to deal with the lower level of functionality in Express) or buy a license for Pro.
I'm having trouble seeing what the issue here is. Assuming your employer has a properly licensed copy of Visual Studio, they have the right to let you use it for any purpose they choose. It's no business of Microsoft's whether or not they let you use company resources for your own project.
The EULA that you agreed to when you installed Visual Studio is quite explicit. Not only do you own the rights to the code you develop using VS, you are required to explicitly claim copyright on your code.
One file you should review is redist.txt, it is copied to the installation directory. It lists the files that are owned by Microsoft that you are allowed to redistribute freely. All the essentials are there, like the .NET framework. Anything that is not in that list is not yours to use.
There is one specific exclusion in the EULA, you are not allowed to develop a product that can be used to allow your customers to access Internet resources for a fee. A bit of an odd-ball exclusion, I assume it is meant to suppress competition for a business segment that MSFT doesn't control.
Finally, as others have alluded, an "understanding" with your employer means squat when it is crunch time. Carefully review the employee contract you signed. It's been quite a while since I last saw one that didn't claim ownership of after-hours work. As well as "related" works produced after the end of the agreement for a certain period. IP is big, your brain is pwned.
Microsoft's DreamSpark ( https://www.dreamspark.com/default.aspx ) program might be a good option. Basically a three-year MSDN subscription for free (with some requirements about building an actual product, etc. - sounds perfect)
Edit: It's "BizSpark": http://www.microsoft.com/BizSpark/
Try if the project works in Visual Studio Express Edition.
It it does, the problem is solved.
If not, return to step 1.
Don't know about the bytecode itself, but first check the assembly file properties. On my vista box I right click -> properties then select the details tab. Then run ILDASM and check the properties on the assembly.
Also double check the EULA on the express editions, the web page specifies it targets "hobbyist" and "enthusiasts". My paranoid side thinks there might be identifiable stuff.
Finally if you want to be really careful, just download the SDK compile your code on the command line before distributing your code.
Explore the EULA on VS Professional. You should be able to discern what you can and can't do from there. Compare this to the EULA for Express. It's tedious, but it's the right place to start.
Related
I currently use express version of Visual Studio 2013, and I am quite satisfied with it. But I now feel the need to use visual studio ultimate version (too big expectations as it is out of my budget)
So, I came across a dealer who claims that he can give me a pirated version of visual studio ultimate 2013 for considerably low price and now I consider what will be the disadvantages of it? In my country (India) this type of thing is popular. So, my question is does microsoft use some kind of system with which it will recognize if the software or product which is developed with visual studio using a pirated copy of visual studio?
My decision totally depends from the answers which I get from you.
Again: Is it recognizable if I use pirated visual studio for developing applications? Be specific.
Thanks, in advance.
While there are no shortage of people who will lecture you on the evils of pirated software... from the unknown quality (you don't know if it contains viruses or malware) to the ethical and legal issues (yes, its illegal, even if you are unlikely to get "caught" even in your country).
There are better alternatives, however. Microsoft has a number of programs in which you can get very cheap or even free software if you meet certain conditions. For instance, the DreamSpark program gives you access to commercial versions of Visual Studio and other software for free if you are a student. It's not the Ultimate version, but it's the Professional Version.
There is also the Microsoft Student Developer Program.
If you own your own business, and meet certain requirements, there is also the BizSpark and WebsiteSpark programs. This does give you Ultimate access, and if you have your own business (or know someone who does and is willing to foster your membership) then this is a great program. You get it all for 3 years for no cost.
Finally, there are discounts you can get as well from various sources, and you might check with your local Microsoft offices. There is also the ActionPack and ActionPack Development & Design programs, again you have to have a business.. but you can probably find a way to make that work if you're creative, and legal and ethical, and its software you can trust.
And of course, there is the Community Edition of Visual Studio, which is a fully featured version of VS and free for anyone who isn't a large business.
microsoft sells licenses to use their software; to be legitimate, U should purchase a license from them. If, OTOH, U want software for which U don't have to pay (and U want to be legitimate), try an open source compiler, like the MinGW compiler, or the C# scripting engine CS-Script, which works with the CLR of .NET, and which can also generate executables. i'm not wild about the MS licensing model, because if there's an error in their code, i can't do anything about it, but i think it's best to respect it, if for no other reason than to keep them off your back.
if U want to violate the model, which, while admittedly stupid, is their choice and also backed up by the law in my country, U'll get no help from me.
I am the sole .net developer for a small company. My projects span many .net technologies including WinForms, WPF, SQL, XNA, Linq, WCF, WTF?, and others.
I struggle staying on top of all these projects so I'm looking to make my life easier with the release of VS2010. Without a mentor I rely heavily on StackOverflow and whatever else Google comes up with. Should I convince my company to get an edition with an MSDN subscription? Is it one of those things where once you have it, you can't imagine life without it?
What about the source control that comes with VS2010, do you all find it better than an SVN server?
We're looking to hire another programmer this year, would I be best off getting a Team edition of VS2010 to be best prepared for that hire?
Thanks!
If you want "Intellitrace" (aka "historical debugging") you'll need Ultimate.
Similarly Premium and Professional incrementally have fewer features. Any other these, or some combination could be the deciding factor. There is a comparison on the product pages.
Also, consider the value of an MSDN Subscription, getting you access to OSs, servers and tools for development and test (and one instance of Office for general use).
Even as a sole developer you should still be using source control (unless it is VSS :-)), whether SVN, GIT, TFS, ... all the paid editions will give you integration. ALM (application lifecycle management) like TFS will do source code control (SCM or VCS) as well as work item tracking (defects, feastrues) and much more. VS paid editions + MSDN include TFS (and you can run it on a Workstation -- server OS only no longer).
In my opinion if you are being employed professionally as a developer in the MS platform, VS Pro + MSDN is a minimum (otherwise ask yourself about the standard of employment), and really it should be VS Ultimate + MSDN. Compare the cost of employing you with the cost of the subscription (especially once on a VL program -- and you only need a single MSDN subscription to qualify for VL).
Visual Studio is a great product and I use it daily. Our level of MSDN subscription is Premium. This opens most of the doors in the MSDN library and I can't say I'm missing Ultimate. When Visual Studio was still RC and Beta we were developing in it (Ultimate) and things like IntelliTrace were nice to have features but were definitely not make or break.
I would advise against getting Visual Studio Premium because it is lacking in some of the features that I use extensively such as Code Coverage and static code analysis.
I'd have to say I can't imagine life without an MSDN subscription. It would be impossible to develop (and test) on the range of platforms necessary.
As for the source repositories we have been using TFS 2010 for the last few months and found that the seamless integration with Visual Studio is the huge selling point. The ability to check-in and out is only one aspect of the system. The ability to create build definitions, view build history and manage work items, all through the IDE, saves so much time.
If price becomes a problem there are always alternatives to Microsoft. If you want to use SVN there are SVN plugins such as VisualSVN and ankhsvn. You could then use something like CruiseControl.Net for builds.
Working as a single developer or in a small team I've usually found that any version of VS (except for Express) is ok, the Ultimate version do have some interesting things, but not anything essential for many developers.
I'd suggest that you (or your boss) look at the Microsoft Action Pack. They've got a new one for developers where you'll get 3 VS Pro licenses plus a bunch of OS and Server licenses (some of them only for development but some of them are valid for any employee I think).
In England it seems to be about £290 per year with the 15% discount that's on right now, so very cheap for what you get. There are some requirements, but if you develop software using MS Software you probably have a fairly high chance of qualifying:
https://partner.microsoft.com/40132997
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Now that Microsoft has released VS 2010 I went to the product page here. To my amazement I found out that IntelliTrace(Historical Debugger) is supported only on the Ultimate Edition of VS 2010. This mean that you have to spend almost $4000 for renewal and almost $12000 for a new license. Does someone have any idea how can we change this decision? Especially make them add this feature to VS 2010 Professional Edition.
This is of course fundamentally a question to Product Management at Microsoft. They will have profiles of the intended market segments they're targetting. Willingness ot part with cash is one of those things, yes. But on the linked page, there's a small 2 line blurb that's also telling. The cheaper editions are expected to be used by individuals on small projects, the more expensive by teams on larger projects. Therefore many of the distinguishing features support those larger projects.
So, to answer the title question, you need to explain to MS Product Management that IntelliTrace is not a reason for you to choose VS 2010 Ultimate Edition, but it would be a reason for you to upgrade from 2005/2008 to VS 2010 Professional Edition. Since Vista, MS Product Management certainly understands version skipping, so this can be a convincing argument.
While I would love to have both static analysis of code contracts, intellitrace, and the new sequence diagram stuff built into Premium and Ultimate, I understand that there are multiple SKUs for different prices.
I don't think there is much we can do to change this at this point, so expect to either live with the missing features, or live with the missing money.
If you want to use superior stuff, you are expected to shell out some cash.
More Features= More Money. And this is universal principal.
Besides you can always look for add-ons which have similar functionality and which cost less than the Ultimate Edition.
IntelliTrace is the killer feature of VS2010 (for some, at least), so Microsoft marketing is simply trying to get a high ROI specifically on this feature by getting people to convert.
Although Intellitrace qualifies as a premium feature, there are lots of other features both in Visual Studio and other Microsoft products that at one time were treated as "premium". Eventually, adoption-through-the-grassroots prevailed and those features became part of lower-priced product editions.
Here are two distinctly different approaches to making the case:
Microsoft stands to make more money via grassroots-adoption - its traditional strength - than by premium editions that are way outside the budgets of most developers and organizations.
If Intellitrace were to be packaged separately (for a price), it would be considerably more affordable. It would be very difficult for Microsoft to claim that it couldn't do this because it has already unbundled Internet Explorer - a considerably more difficult challenge. Unbundling Intellitrace and selling it separately would basically result in a windfall for Microsoft. They'd sell fewer copies of VS Ultimate, but they'd more than make up for that in Intellitrace sales.
As with any product with 'premium' packages, some features will need to be kept for those willing to pay the price.
Much as I'd love to start a revolution I can't see this one moving. Maybe in future versions this feature will filter down.
Ok, I know this isnt a programming question, but I think its really important to understand the differences to be a more productive developer...so please don't close this question!! And yes, I do feel stupid for asking this question! Have only ever worked with the Prof edition of VS 2005/2008.
Now that we have a team of 6 people, I would like to what benefits Team System would offer us over 6 licenses of VS Professional? Also, what advantages does Team Foundation Server offer?
TFS can be good if you use work items and are interested in associating source changes with these work items. Otherwise, using it for a couple of weeks at a customer (that was not using work items) just made me want to run back to subversion.
Merging UI is not very good (to be polite), the VS plug-in always wants to contact the TFS server to check for any changes of the files you're using, there are false warnings of conflicts...
Note that I am the guy that usually defends Microsoft against the Java/PHP guys, so it is very strange for me to write this...
TFS is a great source control tool for every organization. And is much advance than Visual Source Safe. It also has work item management (for tasks) simmilar to Rational software. We are using it for years and not just for .Net languages.
With the Team System version you already have a Team Explorer wherein your users can access the source control. Also Team System consists of different sub products that targets specific job functions such as Team System for Development Edition (For developers), Team System Database Edition (For database architect), Team System Architect Edition (For System Architect), and Team System Test Edition (For testers). All those subversions are included on the Team Suite edition.
For the Professional version it could also benefit to the TFS source control system if the machine is installed with Team Explorer.
The major difference between Professional & Team System is Team Foundation Server. Team Foundation Server is the massive overhaul/replacement of Visual SourceSafe. But TFS also gives you other functionality such as work item tracking and other features to manage the complete development life cycle.
Hey, thanks to all for the answers so far! I have never worked in a team/collaborative environment before, so this is a tad bit new to me. We are in the midst of acquiring a "Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition with MSDN Premium subscription". I know that this package gets updated to "Visual Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN" on March 22 2010.
Will I still be able to leverage collaborative efforts using this package? Is it worth the $2970 additional cost?
EDIT: We are applying for the Empower for ISVs subscription. We work mainly on SaaS/RIA solutions. Am I understanding the term "Work Item" correctly - that is if I wish to task Developer 1 with say XHTML/CSS, Developer 2 with a certain functional module, and Developer 3 with another functional module - each of these is considered a work item that can be easily tracked with VSTS?
Team system, even without team foundation server has code analysis capabilities and metrics for your code that actually quantifies how maintainable it is. For a project manager this is nirvana when trying to find out who does a great job on their code and for a developer it gives him hard facts about where to improve his code.
That being said I think Team Foundation Server might be overkill for a team of 6 people except if you are building an extremely large system.
If you are comfortable with Subversion or a different version control manager,
you are dont mind using Nunit (or alternative unit test tool) and you are
familiar with or can find the open source (or fee based) code metric tools,
and you have bug tracker in place you can save quite a bit of money on the licensing.
I have worked a lot with Team System, and at some clients, just the Pro Version.
While some of the integration TS offers is slick, I am so used to nUnit and
Subversion that I actually miss them at times when working in TS.
Now in 2010, the Ultimate edition does offer some great UML diagramming and code analysis
tools that I will miss in lower versions.
I have been using Visual Studio Express versions. I used to use the full Pro VS 2005. I can't figure out what I am missing with the Express version. What benefits will I get if I buy the full version of VS?
Here you go. This link is vs2005 specific rather than the more-recent 2008, but that's the version you asked about.
Some highlights:
No Mobile Device support
No Object Test Bench
No Extensions
No built-in source control support (they should really change this)
No remote debugging
No Office Development support
No 64-bit compiler support
No Visual Studio Package support
No profiler
No SQL Server debugging integration
Limited deployment options
This list is actually quite lengthy, but with the notable exception of source control they are mostly things you might be able to do without as a single developer, if you really have to. Even the source control can be handled by a file-system-only tool like Tortoise.
Obviously if you're building something like a smart phone app or VS extension it's a non-starter, so you'll need to evaluate what you're really doing. Some of the other missing features like object test bench or the profiler can be partially replaced by third-party tools.
Here's a link to a downloadable Visual Studio 2008 Product Comparison Guide from Microsoft.
The full version of Visual studio supports some extra features and tools.
One of the big differences is more debugging options (You can specify break conditions for debugging, unlike the express version). That feature alone is probably worth it.
You can also install 3rd party addons to add extra featues.
No Resharper.
also, you can add addins like VisualSVN and Resharper into pro. You can't into express.
Matze might be right - MS needs the money - 5K people layed off today, and only 4.7b profit! :(
Depends on what you do. Look at the product matrix to see what features you gain with higher SKUs. Testing, Smart Devices, etc may or may not be relevant for you.
This really just requires a bit of Googling.
You can view a comparison of the paid versions here and an overview of the Express versions here
Have a look at this:
http://blogshare.members.winisp.net/docs/VisualStudio2008-ProductComparison-v1.02-Revisions.xps
If you are doign any sort of professional development with Visual Studio you should buy the Standard edition at a bare minimum. Without it you will loose Source Control integration which IMHO is vital absolute must no questions asked must have for professional development.
I used VS2003 for a while, and am currently using VS2008 C# Express.
Personally, I miss the ability to set a conditional breakpoint instead of simply breaking when a line is hit, and the Threads window.
Support for code version systems is a feature that is real essential.
And Microsoft needs your money to go on implementing new, hot stuff.