For C++ developers, is it worth to switch from VS2005 to VS2008?

Question

We're mostly doing C++ developing in Visual Studio 2005, and some C# coding. We're considering upgrading to Visual Studio 2008, but we're wondering if it will be worth the trouble. From what I've seen, and that is not much, VS2008 doesn't have any big advantages over VS2005. So is it worth switching to VS2008 from VS2005, or is it better to wait for VS2010? What are your experiences switching from VS2005 to VS2008?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,

Sebastiaan

Answer 1

No, not really. There were only minor improvements to the C++ IDE, and the major improvements coming from the C++ team at MSFT are in Visual Studio 2010 (including an intellisense overhaul). It would not be beneficial to C++ developers in anyway really, you're not missing out.

Answer 2

I haven't seen much improvements in VS2008 comparing to 2005 for C++. Once VS2010 is released, it would be worth moving to it as it's C++ support is incredible.

Answer 3

One thing in favor of VS2008 over VS2005 is that the Feature Pack was made available for 2008.

It contains the TR1 additions to the standard library, and some MFC extensions for more modern UI elements.

That said, this will be available in VS2010 as well, but if you want access to the TR1 features (smart pointers, regex, etc.) VS2008 may be a good stepping stone.