Super Cool Free Stuff

Microsoft has some FREE programs out in beta release for developing .NET and ASP.NET using your choice of language called the Visual Studio 2005 Express Products. It also includes SQL Server 2005 Express which, while limited to one CPU, 1 GB RAM, and 4GB of database, should be plenty for most of us. http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/

The Web Dev version of this is fully supported unlike the Web Matrix, and includes Intellisense and Autocomplete. I'm downloading it right now, I'll let you know what I think of it.

Also, if you're like me you use Regular Expressions as often as possible in your code cause they're so powerful. There's a FREE program out there that helps you create and test them. Get it at:
http://regulator.sourceforge.net/

Ok, I've messed around with it some and so far I'd say Web Dev 2005 Express is far better than Visual Studio.NET and Web Matrix. All the things I hate about VS.NET are changed in this: no grid layout so you can use CSS, you can drop controls right into the code instead of only in design view, you aren't forced into using code behind. All in all pretty sweet.

When it comes out of Beta it won't be free, but they're saying it's going to be "very very very cheap". I think this is where ASP.NET is going to take off...

i'm downloading it too, and wow..... aint it small

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Rob - Webforumz Founder

ok... scrap that, it's huge...
the install program only downloaded.... the install modules are now coming down..... arrrggghhh

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Rob - Webforumz Founder

Lol, yeah it's like 200 mb +, I should have mentioned that.

its more like 297MB but thats ok :wink:. It only takes 1 hour to install after you download it... (actually only took me 7 seconds to download the installer, its a fairly small file because it installs everything off of their server I asssume.)

Dont install MSDN.... no point, as it's all available online anyway.

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Rob - Webforumz Founder

I'll have to hit the e-juice tomorrow at work (as my home dial-up wouldn't finish this dial up til 2005).

Ok... this rocks!

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Rob - Webforumz Founder

Yeah, it's very cool. The beta 2 version of the 2.0 framework will come with a go-live license so it should be stable enough then to start using on live sites (though I might start sooner). That's the only thing that sucks about this is it's still in beta.

The MSND is specific to 2005 and in beta as well, so it probably isn't online currently - you'll have to install it to use it.

Also, if you haven't installed it already, instead of using the auto-installer pick "Having trouble downloading". This will let you download the full installers yourself which seemed to go faster to me (though make sure you install the pieces in the right order).

Just installed Visual Studio 2005 Beta, strange thing is that it is almost identical to the Express edition!

Yeah, the things that are extra aren't things a lot of people use.