Microsoft’s Visual Studio is due for a major refresh this year. Details about some new features from private preview have made their way online, “lightweight” mode included.
As first reported by ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, her sources revealed that Microsoft has started private testing of the software, which is dubbed as Visual Studio 15 for now – though likely will be renamed as Visual Studio 2016 when it hits market.
Features we can expect to see include a new Open folder function in the Visual Studio Integrated Development, which has the following purpose:
“This will allow developers to navigate code bases that don’t have projects and solutions. MSBuild-based projects inside the folder get full C# and VB Intellisense, plus the ability to build and debut from the file shortcut menu in Solution Explorer.”
We’ll also see a new feature called AnyCode, which provides developers with the ability to use the program with “source code that hasn’t been organized with projects and solutions.” 
From the private preview, we also know that the next version of Visual Studio will have support for SQL Server 2016 and Azure SQL Database features. It will also include TypeScript 1.8 and NuGet 3.4.
In addition to the above, there’s another feature that the refresh will offer. One Twitter user by the handle @h0xod, seems to have gotten ahold of the preview and shared the following tidbits.
According to him, users will be able to opt for a “lightweight” version of the software development tool during installation (with a new Node app), which will have the options of Visual Studio core editor, Game Development with Unity, .Net desktop development, and Python. Users can choose to install one or more from the above.
The rest of the us, according Foley, will be able to try out the new features soon enough. She believes that the public preview of Visual Studio 2015 will be out at the end of the month.
Source: ZDNet
