Visual Studio 2010 & .NET Framework 4.0 Released, Download Links Included

Microsoft today announced the general availability of Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4. In addition, Microsoft boasted that the new Visual Studio editor, which now uses Windows Presentation Foundation, supports the use of multiple monitors, Windows 7 multi-touch, and the ribbon interface seen in other Microsoft products. One of the most useful features is IntelliTrace, which Microsoft claims that it makes non-reproducible bugs almost a thing of the past by recording the application’s execution history and providing reproduction of the reported bug.

.NET Framework version 4 adds more support for industry standards, which now includes the Dynamic Language Runtime for more language choice, supports high-performance middle-tier applications (including parallel programming, workflow, and service-oriented applications), and side-by-side installation with .NET Framework 3.5. With the new .NET Framework 4 Client Profile, size of the runtime has been decreased by over 80 percent.

Visual Studio 2010 SKU

With the release of the new Visual Studio 2010, Microsoft has reduced the number of SKU from nine to four.

This new naming scheme of Visual Studio 2010 (i.e., Professional, Premium, and Ultimate) is very similar to the Windows branding. With all these changes, Visual Studio is also getting a new logo, which was never changed before.

How to get Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0?

The final releases of both Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 are now available to the public via the Microsoft Download Center.

Note: If you’re using beta version or the RC build, uninstall them before installing the final release version.

If you want to download the Visual Studio 2010 Express editions, then visit: Microsoft.com/Express/Downloads

Below you will find a list of all the download links that are now available:

• Microsoft Visual Studio Test Professional 2010 – ISO (408.0MB)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile (41.0MB)
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (4.8MB)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (869KB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate – ISO (2283.0MB)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (48.1MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio Test Professional 2010 (2.7MB)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile (868KB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Premium – ISO (2275.5MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Professional – ISO (2192.6MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Professional (4.3MB)
• Visual Studio 2010 SDK (11.5MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Premium (4.5MB)
• Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office Runtime (5.9MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell (Isolated) Redistributable Package (166.8MB)
• Visual Studio Agents 2010 – ISO (514.7MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 F# Runtime 2.0 (1.2MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer 2010 – ISO (303.8MB)
• Microsoft Report Viewer 2010 Redistributable Package (4.5MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Shell (Integrated) Redistributable Package (165.8MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 – ISO (1566.5MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate (4.5MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Remote Debugger (25.6MB)
• Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Training Kit (165.6MB)
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer Everywhere 2010 (21.7MB)

If you are a MSDN subscriber, then you will now have access to the final releases of both Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 as well. If you have MSDN access, go ahead and start downloading. If you are a student and is verified then you can download Visual Studio 2010 Professional Edition for free Microsoft Dreamspark website.

For more information about the releases, check out any of the links below:

Visual Studio 2010 Readme, Quick Tour of the Integrated Development Environment, What’s New in Visual Studio 2010, and What’s New in the .NET Framework 4.

[Additional information via Arstechnica]