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Alternative to MS Visual StudioFiled Under: Programing, Software

We leave in a world where there is a huge demand of complex software. 10 years ago you could just get a c++ compiler, write your code and a simple software was born. Now, things got more complicated. A program need to have a good interface, complex functions and must be easy to use. All these can’t be done using only code. That is why now there are Visual Compilers or Visual Programming Environments. The most common one is Microsoft Visual Studio, but it is really expensive and most of us can’t afford it. Good thing there is a free alternative to it.

SharpDevelop is an open-source alternative to the expensive MS Visual Studio. It has everything that you need: an IDE that will let you build your application in a visual environment, and also a code section where you ad your actions to every component on the stage.

The are mane components for you to place on the stage. From simple ones, like buttons and progress bars, to Data grids and tabbed layouts. Every component can be added on stage just by dragging it there. You can also customize the component from the Properties panel.

Adding actions is really easy. SharpDevelop uses the powerful C# programing language (C# is also available in MS Visual Studio). You can find many tutorials and books on C#, and almost every Visual C# tutorial is compatible with SharpDevelop. Also, it has a very advanced Auto Complete feature that will make writing the code a lot more easy and faster.

When you have finished your application, just compile it. It can be exported as an exe file that is compatible with almost all versions of Windows. There is no reason why you should not get this IDE if you are a programmer. It is fast, simple, has almost all the features of Visual Studio and, most importantly, it is free.

Also, being open-source, there will be more and more features added to every new version. So visit the site to see what else they have new. Also, if you are a good programmer, feel free to get the source code and help the team improve it. Also post on the forum any bugs, questions or requests you have.

One of the most important feature that is missing from the application is the support for C++. Currently you can only write your code in C#, but, there is already a support for C++ on the top of the wishlist. So I am very sure that C++ will be included in the future version.

Tags: SharpDevelop, Visual IDE, Visual Programming, Visual Studio, Visual Studio alternative