Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Available

Silverlight 4 will release to Web this week; next wave of developer tools and technologies re-defines simplicity, creates new opportunities for developers.

REDMOND, Washington, April 12, 2010 - Kicking off a global launch consisting of more than 150 developer-focused
events, Microsoft Corp. announced the general availability of Visual Studio
2010 and .NET Framework 4. The company also announced that Silverlight 4 will
release to Web (RTW) later in the week. Together, these technologies simplify
the entire development process, enabling developers to target new platforms
and build high-quality applications. Developers will be able to download
Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 in conjunction with the Microsoft
Visual Studio Conference & Expo launch event in Las Vegas.

(Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

"We're excited to celebrate the launch of Visual Studio 2010 with
developers around the world today," said Bob Muglia, president of the Server
and Tools Business at Microsoft. "Customer and partner feedback was
instrumental in shaping this release. The functionality of Visual Studio
2010, .NET Framework 4 and Silverlight 4 creates a powerful and unique
combination, opening up new opportunities for developers to build
applications that take advantage of new and existing devices, as well as
emerging platforms like cloud services."

In addition, approximately 50 partners, including Micro Focus, Quest
Software Inc., Telerik and Developer Express Inc., announced availability of
products and solutions built on this latest wave of technologies. With the
2010 release of Visual Studio, developers will have access to popular partner
extensions earlier than ever.

"Our customers rely on us to solve for the unique needs of their
businesses, and in order to do that, we need tools and technologies that
enable maximum efficiency, reliability, integration and creativity," said
Peter Duffell, vice president of Strategic Partners at Micro Focus. "Our
next-generation developer tools build on the already-proven capabilities of
Visual Studio, .NET Framework and Silverlight and expand the value to our
customers even further."

Enhancements for Everyone

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 have something for every
developer. The new editor, now using Windows Presentation Foundation,
delivers a more flexible, feature-rich environment that supports concepts
such as the use of multiple monitors. This enables a developer to have one
monitor with code, another with the user interface designer, and yet another
with database structure.

With support for the latest Microsoft releases, developers can use their
existing skills to create more types of applications than ever. Built-in
support for Windows 7 multitouch and "ribbon" interfaces delivers stunning
applications to end users. For the first time, developers have integrated
access to SharePoint functionality into the Visual Studio integrated
development environment. Windows Azure tools make it easy to quickly develop,
debug, test and deploy cloud applications from within the familiar Visual
Studio environment. Built-in support for ASP.NET Model-View-Controller gives
developers the flexibility to separately update the appearance and core
business logic of Web applications. Windows(R) Phone 7 developers will be
able to build amazing mobile applications using Visual Studio with integrated
phone design surfaces. Silverlight 4 creates a whole new way to deliver
compelling applications that run inside and outside the browser.

To address the growing complexity of software development, Visual Studio
2010 provides powerful tools for the entire team. IntelliTrace, a "time
machine" for developers and testers, makes nonreproducible bugs virtually a
thing of the past by recording the application's execution history and
providing reproduction of the reported bug, enabling the tester to help
squash the bug once and for all. This is just one of the many new features
that have been added to help with Application Lifecycle Management,
representing a quantum leap for anyone using the Visual Studio Team System
products from 2005 or 2008.

"The enhanced testing features in Visual Studio 2010 automate the
majority of common tasks and streamline the flow of information across our
team," said Steve Schlonski, vice president, Xerox Global Services, Global
Technology and Offering Development. "This has led to a significant
productivity increase; when you combine this with the ability to have a
single unified view of project status, it dramatically drives down project
risk."

.NET Framework 4 adds additional support for industry standards, more
language choice, new support for high-performance middle-tier applications
including parallel programming, and side-by-side installation with .NET
Framework 3.5. With the .NET Framework 4 Client Profile, the size of the
runtime has been decreased by over 80 percent, making it easier for
developers to get applications, and therefore users, up and running faster.

Silverlight 4, which will RTW later this week, offers powerful media and
business application capabilities that enable developers to deliver
compelling application experiences on or off the Web. New features in
Silverlight 4 include extended out-of-browser capabilities, enhancements for
enterprise application developers, and more than 60 customizable pre-written
controls to quickly build rich, interactive applications.

Product Information and Availability

    - To download, purchase or get more information on Visual Studio 2010:
      www.microsoft.com/visualstudio
    - To download or get more information on the .NET Framework:
      www.microsoft.com/net
    - To download or get more information on Silverlight 4:
      www.microsoft.com/silverlight

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx. / CONTACT: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, +1-503-443-7070, rrt at waggeneredstrom.com, for Microsoft Corp.