Hi Davy, That is hard to say, but I think VS Express is just another half-hearted attempt by Microsoft to compete with Mac and Linux. Microsoft knows if someone buys a Mac they can get and install XCode for free, and they are good to go. A Linux user can install various command line compilers and an IDE like Codeblocks or Eclipse and can develop as much as needed. Microsoft Windows up until 2005 had no free Microsoft IDE and compilers so they decided to release VS Express to try and attract amateur developers to the platform. At least that is how it seems to me.
After all, I used VS Express to develop many projects in C# .NET and Visual Basic .NET and terms of an inexpensive IDE and compiler for .NET VS Express is useful if not as good as VS Pro. Its enough to get someone interested in .NET and writing some basic applications and games to be sure. However, for C++ Microsoft has gutted the IDE and compiler forcing someone to upgrade if they are a pro developer and need whatever it is that express doesn't have that they need. That's how Microsoft has set the hook and make developers pay. They give away just enough to let you build some basic apps and games, but sooner or later someone will run into a project where they need something the express versions do not have and have to pay the piper to update to a better version. Think of VS Express as a demo of VS Pro and you will get the logic behind it. Cheers! On 12/15/13, Davy Kager <[email protected]> wrote: > Oh dear, I never knew! As I said I use VS Pro because I have easy and legal > access to it, and one of the first things I always do is set up an x86 and > x64 cross-build. In fact, I'm almost tempted to go x64 exclusively. Not > sure why Microsoft thinks VS Express is good for you. :) > > Davy > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
