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Thou Shall Not Work Around Technical Limitations
Frans Bouma has a really good overview of the implications of Microsoft behavior in the TDD case. The thing that really bothers me is that the thing that they are hinging their treats against Jaime is "work around techincal limitations".
Well, excuse me, but that is my job. What am I supposed to in cases such as this or this? Report a bug to Microsoft and wait two years so maybe they will fix it? (Or maybe they will decide that it is there for backward compatability.
This is generating so much bad will around the community, I just can't understand Microsoft's position in this matter. I am with Frans on this issue, I don't think that Jaime is in the wrong here, neither technically nor legally.
We have heard from a few Microsoft people about the issue, mostly re-iterating the same nonesense. I would like to get a response Scott Guthrie on this subject.
Comments
Worse still ... MS employees supporting this one on their blogs will get a significant backlash against them personally.
Suggestion guys, either stay quiet and let the lawyers handle it - you can only create more anger against yourselves and MS on this one.
I really don;t think MS know how much this mistake could hurt them. I just made a decision yesterday not to use TFS for unit testing on the project I have upcoming, and I may yet go with SubVersion for source control - because at least that way if I have a problem I don't have to 'work around technical limitations'
Oddly, the first technical limitation in Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition (these problems are all about the disabling of macros, plug-ins, etc., in the free Express Editions, along with the omission of MFC and ATL support) that had to be overcome was failure to support integration with the Platform SDK. A Microsoft employee posted a procedure for integrating the Platform SDK by hacking one of the configuration files, violating SKU-dependent logic there.
This modification is now the standard means for integrating the PSDK with VC++ 2005 EE, and it is published on the MSDN site as part of the instructions for integrating the PSDK.
When I first noticed this, it did raise my eyebrows because it is clearly on the order of overcoming a limitation in the VC++ EE SKU.
Whether these limitations are wise or not, it is clear that the limitations are real and specific to the EE SKU. Also, the people who are being challenged about it knew it all along. We are seeing the aftermath of some lengthy, failed discussions between two stubborn parties.
I think Microsoft missed the boat in crippling the EE editions. I understand about not wanting to create a free substitute for the commercial editions. But the inability to use macros and plug-ins cuts enthusiasts off from IronPython and F# IDE integration and prevents what might be useful contributions from the enthusiast community. (There is no source-code control integration either, so users will basically be driven to use Subversion. Funny, huh?)
Lately, I've ceased to use anything but the Express Editions, supplemented by free tools from other sources (including Java, etc). I want any enthusiast to be able to replicate my builds and not have to buy an expensive license just to do that. My cutover is not complete, but I do not ever expect to use one of the commercial Visual Studio editions ever again.
You're playing right into Microsoft's argument orcmid. You're a professional developer who writes code to pay your bills yet you're refusing to pay Microsoft for development tools that pay the salaries of Microsoft employees. Express wasn't designed for you. Microsoft doesn't think unit testing is right for entry developers. Nomatter what we think that's their perogative. Microsoft has Billions but that doesn't mean they have to give you charity tools. I bet you don't pay for Windows either? You probably borrowed your copy of Office from a client when they weren't looking. I need the ability to protect my IP and so does Microsoft.
TJ,
Sorry, but that isn't the case.
Express may have been positioned as a hobbyist product, but it is a valid for commercial use.
Hell, I would use it in a heartbeat if I had R# there. Just because it is so much lighter than VS itself.
There is not need to cast allegations here. Express is a free product, by Microsoft choice, it is also free for commercial products, again by MS choice.
TJ, I have an MSDN Professional Subscription and my choice to make sure that everything I do can be replicated with the Express Editions is because I want to support enthusiasts.
I am also interested in providing rational workarounds for the missing support without violating the EE license. That's usually inthe form of useful open-source, third-party products (such as Subversion) that do not integrate into the VS EE IDE.
"I need the ability to protect my IP and so does Microsoft."
That's what firewalls are for.
(It seems that "IP" has turned into a pet peeve of mine, there are no laws around "IP". There are laws around Copyright however...)
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