Aimed squarely at web developers and designers, this version focused on the ASP.NET ecosystem. It provided robust tools for building web applications using ASP.NET Web Forms, MVC, Web API, and SignalR. It featured advanced HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript editing tools, along with built-in publishing features for Microsoft Azure. 4. Visual Studio Express 2013 for Windows Phone
For years, the Express editions were the only way to get a free version of Visual Studio. However, they were intentionally limited. To keep them simple and avoid competing with the paid "Professional" versions, Microsoft split Express into separate, specialized products: Express for Desktop: For classic Windows Forms or WPF apps. Express for Web: Focused on ASP.NET and modern web tools. Express for Windows:
In late 2014, alongside the update cycles for VS 2013, Microsoft made a historic decision: they released . vs express 2013
Visual Studio Express 2013 was the free version of Microsoft’s integrated development environment (IDE). Unlike the paid "Professional" or "Ultimate" versions, Express was segmented into specific packages based on what you wanted to build:
Are you looking to this specific version for a legacy project? Aimed squarely at web developers and designers, this
Are you trying to maintain an or starting a new project?
: The IDE did not support "Shared Items Projects," though they could still be compiled via the command line. To keep them simple and avoid competing with
: One of the biggest drawbacks was the lack of support for plugins or extensions. If you wanted productivity boosters like ReSharper, you had to upgrade to a paid version.
This edition focused heavily on Microsoft's "Metro" design language. It was built specifically to create Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and Windows Runtime apps that ran on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. Core Features and Technical Advancements
While Visual Studio has evolved significantly into modern versions, remains a significant milestone in Microsoft’s developer tool history. Released in late 2013, this version offered a lightweight, free, and efficient Integrated Development Environment (IDE) tailored for students, hobbyists, and individual developers looking to build Windows applications, web apps, and desktop software without the licensing costs of the professional edition.