Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft has produced a line of integrated development environment. One of their best products in this line is the visual studio. The software is mainly used for development of GUI i.e. graphical user interface applications and also some consoles. Visual studio has its usage for developing web sites and many web applications and services as well. Every Microsoft windows platform is capable of making use of this product and .NET framework also supports it.

 

The visual studio lets the user edit the code with the help of code editors. This code editor supports intelli-sense and code refactoring too. There is a debugger that is integrated and its main purpose is to debug at the source as well as at the machine level. Many GUI applications require form designers and visual studio has a provision for it as well. There are many designer schemes in-built with it. The functionality of the application can be improved drastically by adding numerous plug-ins. Different tools and toolsets are also present in the product. This makes it even more convenient to maintain the flexibility of the project that the user is working on.

 

There are large numbers of tools included in visual studio. All the tools are different in nature and carry out different tasks. Each one of them is vital and is required for some purpose or the other. Some of the most commonly used tools of visual studio are

 

Open Tabs Browser– This browser lets the user switch between all the open tabs. It maintains a list of the active tabs and is invoked by pressing CTRL+TAB.

 

Solution Explorer – It is important to maintain a record of all the files that are required to build an application correctly. These files need to be stored and displayed in a hierarchal manner. The prime purpose of the solution explorer is to conveniently mange the files present in the system and let the user browse through it.

 

Data Explorer – No application is useful until and unless there is some database attached to it. Also it is of utmost importance that these databases are preserved and maintained and managed properly. SQL server, a product from Microsoft, is used to create databases and data explorer manages these databases. The database tables can be created as well as updated, modified or deleted using this tool. Queries can also be created.

 

Server Explorer – SQL lets the user crate databases. One has to establish a connection between the application and databases to make it work. The server explorer manages all the connections between the databases and the applications that use them. However it is important that the computer is accessible. One more use of server explorer is that it can allow the user to browse active window services.

 

Properties Editor – This tool allows changing the properties or editing the properties in GUI pane. There is a list of all the available properties that can be changed.

 

Object Browser – This is basically a namespace and also a class library browser for .NET package from Microsoft. It is possible with the help of this tool to browse all the namespaces in an ordered pattern. It is not a compulsion that the hierarchy reflects the organization in the file system.

 

There are more than one versions of visual studio available in the market. Currently the most popular of them is the visual studio 2008. Apart from it, visual studio 2005 professional edition is also available. Also there are some language-specific editions that are usually used by companies and the experts. These editions include visual studio for C++, C# and J#. Microsoft is currently working on the development of visual studio 2010

 

Microsoft’s Answer to Sony: The XBOX 360

The Xbox 360 is the descendent of the first game console launched by Microsoft Corporation which was officially names as Xbox. The Xbox 360 was designed and manufactured by Microsoft Corporation in alliance with various firms such as IBM, ATI, and SiS. The Xbox 360 has plenty of new features added to the old Xbox model and with the help of the Xbox Live service; users and gamers all over the world can play games online or take part in various other online activities by spending just a few dollars more. This service also allows the users to download various stuffs like games, movies and music from the internet. The Xbox 360 gaming console is the sole competitor of Sony’s Play station 3 as it has got those high quality graphics and the excellent game play for which Sony’s Play station is quite famous.

Types of Xbox 360’s:

The Xbox 360 is available in four different models which a person can choose from while buying this console. All the 4 models are explained here according to the number of features loaded into them by Microsoft Corporation.

 

Xbox 360 Core: This model was one of the first versions of Xbox 360 that Microsoft launched in the market. This model is regarded as an entry level console for those who people who are light gamers and are not much into hardcore gaming and are not interested in extreme detailed graphics. Microsoft has now stopped the production of these models and instead Xbox Arcade is available in the market which is a very decent replacement for this model. The core model was not bundled with any of the hard drives, though people could buy them separately and use it in their console for storing media like games or videos.

 

Xbox 360 Arcade: This version of Xbox 360 was launched after two years after the launch of the core model. Eventually, this model launched on October 23, 2007 replaced the core model and became the favorites for kids and light gamers. Unlike the core model, it has a wireless controller hence making the experience of gaming a lot more comfortable for the gamers. It is also bundled with a composite AVI cable, HDMI 1.2 output and an internal 256 megabytes memory chip so that saving a game would not become a headache for gamers. This model is bundled with five Xbox Live game titles which are: Feeding Frenzy, Boom Boom Rocket, Luxor 2, Uno and Pac-Man Championship Edition.

 

Xbox 360 Pro: This model of the Xbox 360 contains all the features that are included in the arcade model along with some additional features. The composite AVI cable bundled in the arcade model is replaced with an optical cable for a better output in this model. This model of Xbox 360 also includes a detachable hard disk with a capacity of 60 gigabytes of data storage. This hard disk can be used for storing downloaded games from Xbox Live and also for storing music and videos depending upon the usage of the owner.

 

Xbox 360 Elite: This model is regarded as the most advanced and the most expensive model among all the models of Xbox 360 gaming console. Unlike all the models, this model has a body of matte black color which adds to the beauty of this particular model. Moreover, it utilizes a Falcon 65nm chipset motherboard which is much more advanced than the other models of Xbox 360.

 

Today, Xbox 360 has become one of the most gifted items among the teenagers and its growing popularity has taken it one step ahead of the Play station 3 which is manufactured by Sony.  

 

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