Instead of buying VS 2010 what options will you use for .net development in the future?

Question

Given the recent release of VS 2010 I was shocked to see the pricing structure for the different versions of the product. I was lucky enough to receive free versions of VS 2005 and 2008 from attending various MS events. For the hacking I do at home I'm not sure I'm going to spend the money to purchase the IDE and wanted to see what others were using.

Like SharpDevelop MonoDevelop Expess Editions

Answer 1

As you mentioned, you could always try using a copy of Visual Studio Express. That is probably your best bet for doing Windows development - why not try it out to see if it meets your needs?

Answer 2

Express editions for personal development. If you're doing professional development just go through the process to become a MS certified partner and get pretty much every professional software tool MS makes for free.

Answer 3

If you're talking about just playing at home, then why not just get the express edition?