Aiming to reach a larger audience of software developers, Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced slimmed-down “Express” editions of its Visual Studio developer tool for specific programming ...

The vendor will offer Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop, allowing users of the free version of the development tools to build software with the traditional Windows interface.

Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop is due for release this fall, Somasegar said. “Adhering to the core principles we’ve set for our Express products, Visual Studio Express 2012 for ...

Microsoft Wednesday said that an entry-level edition of its Visual Studio tools will remain free and available for use without restrictions for developers.

Microsoft packages a handful of developer-related services into an Essentials-style pack, and submits Visual Studio Code to beta testing. Oh yeah, and it's also being open sourced.

The free Express version of Microsoft's Visual Studio 2012 tool suite will allow developers to build more than just Metro-Style, Win RT-based apps for Windows 8.