In an effort to provide .Net developers with a way to work in virtual, collaborative communities, Microsoft Corp. this month took the wraps off GotDotNet Workspaces 1.0.
GotDotNet has been available for just over a year as a free resource for developers to discuss issues related to source code development. However, Microsoft decided to launch Workspaces 1.0 after developers, who use the GotDotNet Web site, asked for additional help with source code control, said Mississauga, Ont.-based Ben Watson, senior product manager of Web services at Microsoft Canada Co.
The Workspaces development environment allows developers outside the office to work alongside offshore or remote developers virtually on a common development team.
Microsoft already offers a similar program called SourceSafe, an application that ships with Visual Studio .Net. It allows developers to work with each other on a common application, but not with those at remote locations.
“All the developers can be working on one product and can share the code for the project but can still maintain individual ownership over the things they are working on,” Watson said.
Now into the second version of Visual Studio .Net, developers were looking for ways to work and communicate with global development teams. They also wanted virtual team spaces to be built into the idea of source code management, Watson said.
In essence, Watson added, Microsoft is working towards building a more robust version of SourceSafe, but released Workspaces.