Visual Studio becomes ever more "pie in the face"
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I dedicate this message to "Stooge" Moe Howard, pie-thrower extrordinaire: [^] fyi: I use VS/64.17.4.4 now. Couldn't live without it, and ReSharper. I am programming only in WinForms. I speak of what I experience with VS in the last few years that, now, creates the current visual "pies in the face." I speak of both now, when I have visual impairment (awaiting surgical correction), and have to use Windows' "High Contrast" mode ... and, then, when I had no visual impairment. 1) background check: the first versions of VS used SilverLight for the IDE/editor; there were all kinds of visual glitches. When I finally started using a 4k screen notebook, there were, and still are, problems with screen display/scaling; good luck predicting how your WinForm will appear on the sceeen; good luck getting rid of the nag notification about scaling that won;t go away which suggests a remedy that does not work. Anyway, over the years, I developed a tolerance for what I call the "psychedelic light show" aspects of using VS. The last several VS updates have made things worse: I often cannot edit something without scrolling the something "higher" because of pop-ups that won't get out of the way. The frequency of obnoxious pop-ups has gone up ! I understand if your response is: get your eyes fixed; get a bigger screen, etc. :) Believe it, or not, I recognize that VS, like PhotoShop, has become a vast aggregate of functionality built up of accretion of new facilities. And, imho, VS is not the cutting edge of MS dev initiatives ... that goes to web-centric, cross-platform ... Maui, Blazor, etc. And, perhaps, WinForms is the poster-child of yesterday ? I blame ex-MS-executive Whatshisname for killing off SilverLight, the mess made with WPF's deprecation, and the whole diversion of MS dev resources to the "Metro" and WinRT fiascoes. So, the top predator now digests the carcasses of Mono and Xamarin ... and, Maui is the "next big thing" :) cheers, Bill
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
Microsoft Visual Studio comes a long way from Visual C++ 1.5 until Visual Studio 2022. There were many milestones on the way. The most important for me were jump to win32 (from win16) and from win32 to win64. Since VS.NET appeared, I don't have any illusions about the future of this IDE. I was always surprised with Microsoft's perseverance with maintaining this piece of ... technology. Other toolset rose and fell, but this IDE remains ... alive. The most productive Microsoft's strategy (try to create something great and kill anyone who has better alternative if the results were not good) works even nowadays. I think the most risky part of the Windows' development is not and IDE or tools, but the restricted SDK that replaces the current. The old as a mammoth common controls GUI model is changing to a kind of drug addicted. Moreover, Microsoft is not leading this rift. I'm afraid of the next possible Microsoft's step :-(
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Note 2: that the ReSharper headquarters is in Prague, Czech Republic and the last time I looked most of the R&D was done in Russia and Belarus. ReSharper has put out an official statement stating that they have suspended all R&D in Russia and Belarus. Microsoft has kicked out all MVPs from Russia and Belarus in 2022, and ReSharper was an MS MVP for a long time, I believe. All of this is online for you to research and fact check if you so choose. Summary: ReSharper is amazing IMHO, but politics has set ReSharper's course for extinction.
It's one thing for you to troll CP, and stalk me, and another for you to cast defamatory slurs on my friends in Czechoslovakia (at both JetBrains, and PostSharp). JetBrains is a world-famous software company, a leading innovator whose products now go far beyond being focused on MS exclusively. ReSharper is a product, not an MVP. Yearss ago, JetBrains actually gave CP members a year free sub to ReSharper. Czechoslovakia is (and has been since the beginning) overwhelmingly pro-Ukraine: welcomes refugees, sends advanced tanks. Czechs have has a profound distrust of Russia since their occupation in 1968. Microsoft suspended sales and R&D in Russia/Belarus. JetBrains' actual statement on Russia/Belarus: [^]. Update: [^] I'll let JetBrains know about your distorted attempt at defamation. Shame on you. @chrismaunder
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
There is no Czechoslovakia since 1993. So, according to the Update link, they have absorbed as much Russian/Belorussian gene as they could.
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I have been a long time users of ReSharper. Microsoft has been on a campaign of moving all the most used features from ReSharper into VS/VS 2022. I use VS/VS 2022 all day long, all week long for work, with not issues really. I hardly need to enable ReSharper anymore now in VS. The performance degradation is extremely noticeable now and has been in the past in VS if you have ReSharper enabled and I feel that is by design because Microsoft has never liked ReSharper. Note 1: All of my friends that work at Microsoft use ReSharper and have been for a long time, but there is internal company pushback to stop using it for there internal software devs, etc. Note 2: that the ReSharper headquarters is in Prague, Czech Republic and the last time I looked most of the R&D was done in Russia and Belarus. ReSharper has put out an official statement stating that they have suspended all R&D in Russia and Belarus. Microsoft has kicked out all MVPs from Russia and Belarus in 2022, and ReSharper was an MS MVP for a long time, I believe. All of this is online for you to research and fact check if you so choose. Summary: ReSharper is amazing IMHO, but politics has set ReSharper's course for extinction.
I like Resharper :thumbsup: (and its companion tools) But I find it overpriced (£320 is too much) X| Nowadays most of the functionality I need is already in Visual Studio. I have learned to work (and be productive) without Resharper.
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Microsoft Visual Studio comes a long way from Visual C++ 1.5 until Visual Studio 2022. There were many milestones on the way. The most important for me were jump to win32 (from win16) and from win32 to win64. Since VS.NET appeared, I don't have any illusions about the future of this IDE. I was always surprised with Microsoft's perseverance with maintaining this piece of ... technology. Other toolset rose and fell, but this IDE remains ... alive. The most productive Microsoft's strategy (try to create something great and kill anyone who has better alternative if the results were not good) works even nowadays. I think the most risky part of the Windows' development is not and IDE or tools, but the restricted SDK that replaces the current. The old as a mammoth common controls GUI model is changing to a kind of drug addicted. Moreover, Microsoft is not leading this rift. I'm afraid of the next possible Microsoft's step :-(
Very interesting response, thanks.
Quote:
The old as a mammoth common controls GUI model is changing to a kind of drug addicted.
Not quite sure what this intriguing analogy means. Is WPF or UWP (or Maui ?) any less "mammoth controls" because you describe them in XAML, rather drag-drop icons onto a Form ? I'd say Maui, which imho is still a flawed prototype, has few controls because it has long delayed development by a mis-led fresh team that took on far more than they could handle and got pressured into alpha/beta releases that were unusable. The long lasting "common controls," as quirky as different zoo animals, often wrappers around COM fossils, are still here because they are useful and powerful. But, yeah, an asteroid is coming that will destroy the current dinosaurs :) cheers, Bill
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
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I dedicate this message to "Stooge" Moe Howard, pie-thrower extrordinaire: [^] fyi: I use VS/64.17.4.4 now. Couldn't live without it, and ReSharper. I am programming only in WinForms. I speak of what I experience with VS in the last few years that, now, creates the current visual "pies in the face." I speak of both now, when I have visual impairment (awaiting surgical correction), and have to use Windows' "High Contrast" mode ... and, then, when I had no visual impairment. 1) background check: the first versions of VS used SilverLight for the IDE/editor; there were all kinds of visual glitches. When I finally started using a 4k screen notebook, there were, and still are, problems with screen display/scaling; good luck predicting how your WinForm will appear on the sceeen; good luck getting rid of the nag notification about scaling that won;t go away which suggests a remedy that does not work. Anyway, over the years, I developed a tolerance for what I call the "psychedelic light show" aspects of using VS. The last several VS updates have made things worse: I often cannot edit something without scrolling the something "higher" because of pop-ups that won't get out of the way. The frequency of obnoxious pop-ups has gone up ! I understand if your response is: get your eyes fixed; get a bigger screen, etc. :) Believe it, or not, I recognize that VS, like PhotoShop, has become a vast aggregate of functionality built up of accretion of new facilities. And, imho, VS is not the cutting edge of MS dev initiatives ... that goes to web-centric, cross-platform ... Maui, Blazor, etc. And, perhaps, WinForms is the poster-child of yesterday ? I blame ex-MS-executive Whatshisname for killing off SilverLight, the mess made with WPF's deprecation, and the whole diversion of MS dev resources to the "Metro" and WinRT fiascoes. So, the top predator now digests the carcasses of Mono and Xamarin ... and, Maui is the "next big thing" :) cheers, Bill
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
Bill, I understand your pain. I lost my right eye a couple of years ago and the left has a combination of myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, and a cataract (surgery next month). This is in addition to the mental changes challenges excreta associated with getting :elephant:ing old. Pardon the vulgarity, but I haven't had my coffee yet.
BillWoodruff wrote:
I often cannot edit something without scrolling the something "higher" because of pop-ups that won't get out of the way
I'm using VS2019 and I've turned a lot of that crap off. While I understand how it could be useful it clutters my visual field and the noise from the constant flickering is profoundly annoying. This is over and above wearing off the keytop of my [Esc] key dismissing the Clippy-esque "this looks inept; are you sure you're smart enough to do this?" prompts. Good luck, and remember that soon enough the youngsters will have to maintain the crap we leave behind :cool:.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Bill, I understand your pain. I lost my right eye a couple of years ago and the left has a combination of myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, and a cataract (surgery next month). This is in addition to the mental changes challenges excreta associated with getting :elephant:ing old. Pardon the vulgarity, but I haven't had my coffee yet.
BillWoodruff wrote:
I often cannot edit something without scrolling the something "higher" because of pop-ups that won't get out of the way
I'm using VS2019 and I've turned a lot of that crap off. While I understand how it could be useful it clutters my visual field and the noise from the constant flickering is profoundly annoying. This is over and above wearing off the keytop of my [Esc] key dismissing the Clippy-esque "this looks inept; are you sure you're smart enough to do this?" prompts. Good luck, and remember that soon enough the youngsters will have to maintain the crap we leave behind :cool:.
Software Zen:
delete this;Gary, thanks for your concern and thoughts ! For all what may appear as "ranting" re VS, I still am a devotee :) ... and, I doubt I'll have another language I "love" the way I do C# in this life. It's obvious to me that VS has only partially caught up with being displayed on a 4k 15.6 inch laptop screen when Windows settings are high contrast, font scaling, and screen resolution setting at a lower dpi than 4k screen setting. But, what a complex set of confounding factors that is ! The bizarre behavior of auto-complete deserves a separate roasting, and I will post it under the title "maniac in the house" :) Best wishes on your upcoming surgery; mine (both eyes, general anesthesia) has been postponed until the docs say "other problems" are resolved. cheers, Bill
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
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Gary, thanks for your concern and thoughts ! For all what may appear as "ranting" re VS, I still am a devotee :) ... and, I doubt I'll have another language I "love" the way I do C# in this life. It's obvious to me that VS has only partially caught up with being displayed on a 4k 15.6 inch laptop screen when Windows settings are high contrast, font scaling, and screen resolution setting at a lower dpi than 4k screen setting. But, what a complex set of confounding factors that is ! The bizarre behavior of auto-complete deserves a separate roasting, and I will post it under the title "maniac in the house" :) Best wishes on your upcoming surgery; mine (both eyes, general anesthesia) has been postponed until the docs say "other problems" are resolved. cheers, Bill
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
You're very welcome, and best of luck to you too. Us old gits (pun intended) have to stick together :-D.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Bill, I understand your pain. I lost my right eye a couple of years ago and the left has a combination of myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, and a cataract (surgery next month). This is in addition to the mental changes challenges excreta associated with getting :elephant:ing old. Pardon the vulgarity, but I haven't had my coffee yet.
BillWoodruff wrote:
I often cannot edit something without scrolling the something "higher" because of pop-ups that won't get out of the way
I'm using VS2019 and I've turned a lot of that crap off. While I understand how it could be useful it clutters my visual field and the noise from the constant flickering is profoundly annoying. This is over and above wearing off the keytop of my [Esc] key dismissing the Clippy-esque "this looks inept; are you sure you're smart enough to do this?" prompts. Good luck, and remember that soon enough the youngsters will have to maintain the crap we leave behind :cool:.
Software Zen:
delete this;Gary Wheeler wrote:
the left has a combination of myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, and a cataract (surgery next month)
FWIW - I had cataracts in both eyes and a small astigmatism - had them both done a few years ago and they installed super fancy multi-focal lenses. Results have been spectacular! I no longer need vision correction at all. Near, far, reading... all good! At night, lights have a small corona but its no big deal.
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Gary Wheeler wrote:
the left has a combination of myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, and a cataract (surgery next month)
FWIW - I had cataracts in both eyes and a small astigmatism - had them both done a few years ago and they installed super fancy multi-focal lenses. Results have been spectacular! I no longer need vision correction at all. Near, far, reading... all good! At night, lights have a small corona but its no big deal.
fgs1963 wrote:
they installed super fancy multi-focal lenses
Good to know. I'm deciding the type of implant lens I want. The basic lens is covered by my insurance, but the other lens types have added cost. I don't know yet if my astigmatism can be corrected by the more capable lenses.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
fgs1963 wrote:
they installed super fancy multi-focal lenses
Good to know. I'm deciding the type of implant lens I want. The basic lens is covered by my insurance, but the other lens types have added cost. I don't know yet if my astigmatism can be corrected by the more capable lenses.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
I dedicate this message to "Stooge" Moe Howard, pie-thrower extrordinaire: [^] fyi: I use VS/64.17.4.4 now. Couldn't live without it, and ReSharper. I am programming only in WinForms. I speak of what I experience with VS in the last few years that, now, creates the current visual "pies in the face." I speak of both now, when I have visual impairment (awaiting surgical correction), and have to use Windows' "High Contrast" mode ... and, then, when I had no visual impairment. 1) background check: the first versions of VS used SilverLight for the IDE/editor; there were all kinds of visual glitches. When I finally started using a 4k screen notebook, there were, and still are, problems with screen display/scaling; good luck predicting how your WinForm will appear on the sceeen; good luck getting rid of the nag notification about scaling that won;t go away which suggests a remedy that does not work. Anyway, over the years, I developed a tolerance for what I call the "psychedelic light show" aspects of using VS. The last several VS updates have made things worse: I often cannot edit something without scrolling the something "higher" because of pop-ups that won't get out of the way. The frequency of obnoxious pop-ups has gone up ! I understand if your response is: get your eyes fixed; get a bigger screen, etc. :) Believe it, or not, I recognize that VS, like PhotoShop, has become a vast aggregate of functionality built up of accretion of new facilities. And, imho, VS is not the cutting edge of MS dev initiatives ... that goes to web-centric, cross-platform ... Maui, Blazor, etc. And, perhaps, WinForms is the poster-child of yesterday ? I blame ex-MS-executive Whatshisname for killing off SilverLight, the mess made with WPF's deprecation, and the whole diversion of MS dev resources to the "Metro" and WinRT fiascoes. So, the top predator now digests the carcasses of Mono and Xamarin ... and, Maui is the "next big thing" :) cheers, Bill
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
Can't say I disagree... I am still using VS 2019 with the latest version. I would like to upgrade to VS 2022 but it does not support .NET Framework 4.6 out of the box, which I am still using for my WPF development. Why change when this framework just works well? With .NET Core, it appears as if Microsoft tried to throw as much of the baby out with the bathwater as possible. And of course, first with MVC and now with ASP.NET Core, Microsoft has now turned web development into a gargantuan mess. Web Forms was the epitome of web development and efficiency but as soon as the "purists" got their fangs into all of it, Web Forms was derided into oblivion. Why? To be replaced by a cacophony of stupid front-end tools under JavaScript with a host of frameworks and back-end tools made up of the same that have only added massive complexity and increased insecurity in such development. Why do we now need to know dozens of tools when Web Forms was a fairly compartmentalized environment? I say BS to those who seem to believe that these new web development environments are better than the original. Prove it! Microsoft has historically just gone and upended its own development environments with no concern for the consequences of what it was doing. One wonders if there was any real money to be made behind all of this. VS 2022 appears to be landing space for all of the new tools, frameworks, and development environments that Microsoft would like all of us to use. I installed it a while back with the hopes of doing some upgrades to my own projects but it completely messed up my VS 2019 installation forcing me to uninstall both VS 2022 and VS 2019 and then re-installing VS 2019 again to get a clean installation. Based on recent research, this issue has yet to be fixed by Microsoft, but probably like Microsoft's Solitaire with its broken advertising processes, all of this is probably being done to force many of us to move up to the next version of VS. So far I am resistant to doing so...
Steve Naidamast Sr. Software Engineer Black Falcon Software, Inc. blackfalconsoftware@outlook.com
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There is no Czechoslovakia since 1993. So, according to the Update link, they have absorbed as much Russian/Belorussian gene as they could.
Isn't there a forum rule about "no politics"?
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Very interesting response, thanks.
Quote:
The old as a mammoth common controls GUI model is changing to a kind of drug addicted.
Not quite sure what this intriguing analogy means. Is WPF or UWP (or Maui ?) any less "mammoth controls" because you describe them in XAML, rather drag-drop icons onto a Form ? I'd say Maui, which imho is still a flawed prototype, has few controls because it has long delayed development by a mis-led fresh team that took on far more than they could handle and got pressured into alpha/beta releases that were unusable. The long lasting "common controls," as quirky as different zoo animals, often wrappers around COM fossils, are still here because they are useful and powerful. But, yeah, an asteroid is coming that will destroy the current dinosaurs :) cheers, Bill
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
Hello, Let me try to explain my words. When I say "common controls" I mean edit/combo/listbox/list/tree controls with event driven data flow. When I say common controls I mean Windows 3.X and its descendants. Windows Forms, like Delphi previously, use this model with a few extensions. When I say drugs addicted design I mean a new approach when framework developers are too lazy or to dump to implement all the common controls and pass this work to the application developers. My favorite example - Android GUI. WPF and its next approach called UWP are another examples of this kind of technology.