Microsoft previously announced their intention to produce a steady series of updates to Visual Studio 2012 (VS2012), and the first of these has arrived with the release of Update 1. Given the scope of the update, most developers will find their development is affected by the changes.
This release delivers multiple bug fixes and new features. One of the most prominent for developers supporting legacy clients is that now Windows XP clients can officially be targeted by VS2012, simplifying development for those still supporting that platform. Other areas receiving improvements include:
- SharePoint
- Windows Store Development
- Agile Teams
- Microsoft Test Manager
- Team Foundation Server
Currently Microsoft is not providing a direct way to obtain a standalone Update 1 ISO/ZIP/etc. However developers can produce their own equivalent distribution set by downloading the web installer and then use that to retrieve all necessary files. Once downloaded, the files can be copied as needed via network/USB stick to machines that are not connected to the Internet. An update produced in this manner will support all versions of VS2012 (Express, Pro, Test Pro, Premium, and Ultimate.) Microsoft's Rob Caron has provided detailed instructions on how to use the installer for this purpose. David Guyer (also of Microsoft) notes that while there is not currently a way to slipstream Update 1 into RTM version of VS2012, the updates are cumulative. This means that only the newest update has to be installed-- it will not be necessary to install Update 1, then Update 2, etc.
Upgrading
Developers running VS2012 on their workstation should expect the process to be relatively painfree. Team Foundation Server (TFS) will be more problematic as Brian Harry notes that any customizations made to a TFS install will be lost when the update is applied. As noted at the link above, environments using TFS and VS2012 will both need to apply Update 1 in order for proper operation.