Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Edition is an integrated development environment (IDE) for teams that build applications that operate on Microsoft Windows, in Microsoft Office, or on Microsoft's web and mobile-device platforms.

Visual Studio Ultimate Edition includes all the debugging, diagnostics, and testing functionality of the Premium Edition, in addition to tools for lab management, architecture, and modeling.

Developers who use Visual Studio Ultimate Edition can choose to program in long-supported Microsoft programming languages such as Visual Basic.NET, Visual C++.NET, Visual C#.NET, Jscript, and dozens more or in several languages that are newly supported with Visual Studio 2010 such as Visual F#, IronRuby, and IronPython. Visual Studio 2010 also includes more integration with SharePoint Server than previous versions, helping developers who need to customize a SharePoint Server 2010 installation.

Visual Studio Ultimate Edition includes many Microsoft software development kits, utilities, class libraries, APIs, and data connections. It supports .NET Framework versions 2 through 4, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Silverlight, ASP.NET, Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML), and Language-Integrated Query (LINQ). Visual Studio 2010 also includes Visual Studio 2010 Tools for the Office Runtime, which targets Office 2007 and 2010.

Other capabilities include the following:

• Database development tools for deployment and change-management help ensure databases and applications are in sync.
• Code analysis tools help developers avoid common coding errors before they get into production.
• Test impact analysis provides a list of recommended tests to run after a code change was made, enabling more accurate verification of code and reducing the number of tests needed.
• Lab Management automates build-deploy-test workflows to reduce development and testing costs associated with setup, tear down, and restoration of virtual environments to a known state.
• Architecture Explorer helps users visually explore code assets and their interdependencies, produce detailed models of how an application is constructed, and drill down into specific areas.

Other Editions of Visual Studio

See this table for a comparison of Visual Studio 2010 editions. For organizations that do not need the full functionality of Visual Studio, Microsoft offers free, downloadable Express editions of Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual C++, and Visual Web Developer.

Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Subscription

This version of Visual Studio includes a two-year subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). MSDN provides access to Microsoft operating systems and software, development kits, and the MSDN Library. The subscription available with Ultimate Edition also includes access to titles like Visual Studio Team Explorer Everywhere 2010, Expression Studio Ultimate, and Office Professional Plus 2010 for production use, as well as access to Office products, Dynamics, and other servers for development and testing. Access is via the MSDN Subscriber Downloads site and through regular CD or DVD shipments. Technical support includes unlimited use of MSDN Managed Newsgroups with guaranteed response times of two business days, unlimited access to MSDN Online Concierge for nontechnical questions regarding use of the MSDN site, and four phone-based support incidents.

Acquiring MSDN

To activate the MSDN subscription, you must perform an additional step while retrieving your license keys from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center website. To activate an MSDN subscription, click Subscriptions in the VLSC menu bar and follow the MSDN link to enter information about the subscribing user. When the process is complete, the user will receive an email with a subscriber ID and directions to the MSDN website.

Obtaining This Product

Installing this product requires you to download the software from the Volume Licensing Service Center and enter a license key. You can download any available version or language for your product. After you download the software, learn how to install it or burn it to a disc for later use.

The license key allows you to install the product on as many computers as you have received licenses for. This quantity is specified in the first email you receive from TechSoup after requesting this product.

Expect three emails:

1. When your donation request has been approved, TechSoup will send a message to your organization email address confirming the number of licenses you have requested.
2. Microsoft will send an email welcoming your organization to the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).
3. TechSoup will send an email with information about obtaining your license key and managing your donation at the VLSC. If you are new to the VLSC, you should wait for this email before you register there.

Software Assurance

Under the Software Assurance program, you have the right to install any new release of products covered in the agreement during the term of your coverage.

• Hardware:
• 1.6-GHz (or higher) processor
• 1 GB or more RAM; additional 512 MB if running in a virtual machine
• 10 GB available hard-disk space
• 5,400-rpm hard drive
• 1024x768-pixel or higher-resolution display with DirectX 9–capable video card
• DVD drive if installing from disc
• Software:
• Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit); Windows 8 (32-bit or 64-bit); Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 (64-bit only); Windows Server 2012 (64-bit only)

• This donation is available to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) designation and to public libraries. Public libraries must either have valid 501(c)(3) nonprofit status or be listed in the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) database.
• Organizations that are not eligible: Not all 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible for participation in the Microsoft Donation Program. Those that are not eligible should visit Microsoft Volume Licensing for Industries for more information about charity licensing; they may still be eligible for discounted software from Microsoft. The following types of organizations are ineligible for Microsoft software donations:
• Governmental organizations or agencies.
• Educational institutions, including K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and trade schools.
• Healthcare organizations and networks, including hospitals, specialty networks, ambulatory healthcare services, home healthcare and assisted living healthcare organizations, research organizations, and laboratories. Exceptions: Community health clinics, medical research groups, behavioral healthcare nonprofits, women's health centers, and blood banks are eligible to request Microsoft software donations.
• Political, labor, and fraternal organizations; commerce and trade associations without charitable aims or activities; sponsorships of events, tables, exhibitions, or performances; fundraising events such as luncheons, dinners, walks, runs, or sports tournaments.
• Religious organizations not registered as a charity and without a secular community designation that is separate from the church or religious organization. A secular designation is defined as an organization that provides services to people regardless of their religious beliefs and does not propagate a belief in a specific faith. Example: A food bank with nonprofit or charity status that is run by a church but is a separate and unique organization that provides food and meals to anyone who qualifies for services, regardless of religious beliefs. Religious organizations without secular designations can visit Programs for Charitable Organizations for information regarding licensing options; they may be eligible to receive discounted Microsoft software through these programs.
• Refurbishers that will be installing the donated software on refurbished computers to be distributed or donated to nonprofits or schools. Please visit the Registered Refurbisher Program.
• Nonpublic libraries, including private libraries, school libraries, specialty libraries, armed forces libraries, and libraries in government agencies.
• Eligible organizations receive an allotment of Microsoft software donation requests that is reset every two years. An organization’s two-year cycle begins with its first donation request after July 27, 2011. After two years, a new cycle begins, and a new allotment becomes available. The organization does not need to request the full amount of its allotment. There is no limit to the number of separate requests the organization can make and no minimum quantity requirement.
• During its two-year cycle, an organization can request products from up to 10 title groups. For title groups that contain applications that run on an individual computer (like a desktop or laptop PC), there is a 50-license maximum. For title groups that contain client access licenses or other licenses that provide for connection to or management of a server, there is also a 50-license maximum. For server products, there is a five-product maximum, regardless of title group. For further details, see Quantity and Frequency of Microsoft Requests on the Microsoft Donation Program — Eligibility and Allotments page.
• Public libraries may request Microsoft software donations through this program only for use on public access computers or on computers used to directly manage either the public access computers or the library's public access program. Participating libraries must also make their collection and basic services available to the population of their legal service area without charges to individual users (excluding incidental fees such as printing charges). If they so choose, libraries may impose charges on users outside the legal service area and may provide products and services (beyond basic services) to the public at large, with or without individual charges.
• Organizations that engage in discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination, and/or retirement based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, political affiliation, union membership, or veteran status, other than as allowed by law, are not eligible to participate in this program. Organizations must be willing and able to attest that they do not discriminate on any of these grounds in order to receive donations.
• Microsoft products may not be transferred between separate legal entities or resold. Additionally, Microsoft products may not be installed on computers that will be given to or sold to other organizations or individuals, even as part of a charitable program.
• Donated product will be distributed under this program to qualifying organizations and libraries only, not to individuals.