Hey All! I’m a PM on the Visual Studio Online team (as well as Live Share and IntelliCode), and we’re extremely excited to have more developers try out the product. Our goal is to dramatically reduce the cost of setup/onboarding, enable better team/classroom collaboration, and further support remote development. We believe that having on-demand, cloud-powered dev environments, that are accessible from VS Code and the web, provides a huge step towards achieving that.
Let us know if you have any questions/comments/feedback, since we’re very keen to begin working with the broader developer community, and learning how we can continue to improve. Otherwise, check out the service (https://aka.ms/vso), and then let us know what you think (https://GitHub.com/microsoftdocs/vsonline).
So this is NOT Visual Studio but rather VSCode? Do you have insight into why Microsoft keeps making misleading product names? Would it be so horrible to name it VSCode Online instead of Visual Studio Online?
> Let us know if you have any questions
The website says "Use the programming languages and frameworks of your choice". Will that include building and debugging C++ Win32 MFC applications?
Is there documentation somewhere for the self-hosted environment option, which according to the product landing page and pricing page is no cost? I'm guessing the flow there is to use VSCode through the online site, but give ssh credentials to one of your servers that's running the Remote SSH VSCode environment. But once I go to Create an Environment, there's no option for a self-hosted one.
>Let us know if you have any questions/comments/feedback
1) Shortcut keys. I hit some shortcut during my hello world testing that didn't have the expected effect (because browser). Given how keyboard heavy developing is are there any plans on unifying this more somehow - VS / VSC / VSO?
2) I gather this is still free, but I assume this will be running off azure credits later?
3) The machines seemed a little heavy spec'd for me. Powerful is nice & a big draw card for cloud. But for my personal use case (casual python) I can see the sweet spot being lower.
4) Please fix the permission request wordings on first launch. Very awkwardly phrased & still not entirely sure what it was asking. It was asking for maintaining some mystery permissions when I'm not online or some such thing?
Is the iPad's Safari browser considered a "first class citizen" from a testing/breakage perspective? And on a related note, do you have/know what the minimum requirements will look like? For example, could a low powered ARM-based Chromebook utilize it?
Looks like the default VS Online dotnet sdk is set to LTS[1] which breaks my ASP.NET Core 3.0 project in an interesting way. The initial startup Oryx build succeeds[2] but the Omnisharp dotnet restore command fails[3].
[1] In ~/.bashrc: PATH=$PATH:/opt/oryx:/opt/nodejs/lts/bin:/opt/dotnet/sdks/lts
[3]
```
/opt/dotnet/sdks/2.1.802/sdk/2.1.802/Sdks/Microsoft.NET.Sdk/targets/Microsoft.NET.TargetFrameworkInference.targets(137,5): error NETSDK1045: The current .NET SDK does not support targeting .NET Core 3.0. Either target .NET Core 2.1 or lower, or use a version of the .NET SDK that supports .NET Core 3.0
```
A clean online, and shared, environment seems like a better way to do PR reviews with the author than doing a Live Share.
Does the platform support that? Or wants to?
What I would like to stop a comment thread and jump to online-video-session to review some code. Live Share works but requires a stable environment by one of the parties which might be troublesome with some code.
I'm very excited about this! I recently switched to desktop + iPad, and I can't currently code at all on the iPad because all the apps I tried suck. I'm hoping that VS Online will solve my problem.
> Let us know if you have any questions/comments/feedback
OK. What you wrote on that web site, "run, and debug your applications from any device", reads like a false advertisement.
I do CAD/CAM/CAE, for that I need a physical GPU. I do embedded, for that I need custom physical hardware, running specific build of Linux. I do multimedia, for that I need a physical GPU with all their hardware codecs. I do GPGPU, same thing.
Maybe you should specify which types of applications are actually supported?
If you have a moment could you send me an email? Mine is in my profile. I'd love to try out this product but there is something that has prevented me from using it. I'm hoping you might be able to get me to the right help I need.
It would be great if there would be a free tier for people that want to learn C++ with VS. Something that lets you use VS online for small C++ programs (similar with Compiler Explorer but with support for running the generated binary) to build and run these small programs.
> What is the use case for a hosted Visual Studio Code?
The same as Amazon cloud9, and other online IDE, it's about not having to install any SDK on your own computer to develop apps, which is really handy in the era of cheap SSD laptops and mobility.
I have used cloud9 for years, unfortunately the editor itself hasn't had a real update for a long time. So VS online is a welcome addition.
I think some people see value in it as a security feature, or ease of development environment setup. There are also collaborative code editing features. You can both get into a file and type in it at the same time. You can get into your project and work on it from any machine, anywhere, even a phone, potentially.
Personally though, I would never take a job where you do most of your coding in the cloud.
Edit code directly on Azure Services (e.g. Azure Functions) and real-time test the results of the changes. Aside from that just convenience for developers if you want to develop across multiple devices with internet connectivity (or using an iPad's web-browser), and as an alternative to a remote VM/Nano on a terminal.
The use case for VSCode Online is the same as any other remote development environment, combine it with deployment workflows and or integrated services like Azure and it practically sells itself. Just like Slack the secret sauce here isn't the service itself, it is how it ties into everything else.
Whether you’re working on a long-term project, a short-lived feature branch, or want to quickly review a pull request, Visual Studio Online can help you be more productive by providing a fully configured development environment in minutes. By pointing to a Git repo, Visual Studio Online sets up everything you need to focus on being productive:
* Source code
* Runtimes
* Linters & debuggers
* Extensions
Imagine you are in a cave, for no apparent reason, and your computer is no where to be found. The only computer there is a n old school terminal that is somehow running IE11. Your colleague commits something with tabs instead of spaces and you get the notification on your phone. Now you can easily login to VSCode online to re-indent everything with spaces, commit and push it back up, all through your web browser.
Thanks for the feedback! Docker Compose support is on our roadmap, and you can track progress of it here: https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/vsonline/issues/35. If you could upvote that issue, that would be much appreciated!
I love the Remote SSH extension for VSCode (save for the frustrating workarounds necessary for ssh-agent forwarding -- an absolutely necessary feature) and expected VSO to be much more streamlined. But I find myself hitting early walls:
- No documentation on how to clone a private github repo, gitlab repo, etc.
- Cloning a private repo on the command line eschews the ability to bootstrap your VSO instance using the in-repo config, which kills a huge benefit of this product
- No documentation on forwarding ssh-agent or injecting RSA keys of any kind
There are some other needs addressed in other comment threads (particularly registering a remote headless box as a VSO machine) but the above are instant showstoppers. Perhaps this works with private Azure DevOps repos because of the login integration? I'd be willing to wager that the majority of folks interested in this are on other repo hosts, though.
Interestingly there is 1 white woman per 9 people of color on that page. Obviously, marketing the tool as accessible is a good thing, but doesn't this negatively resonate with common blue-collar folk as being a buggy half-baked corporate thing developed by H1B Indians? I don't have any negativity against anyone here, but it feels to be a taboo topic which is not touched or discussed, and I'd like to get some perspective on how it is perceived by people.
A solid browser based IDE would pare well with Azure or some other cloud provider. Specifically, “serverless” products where devs can focus on code, disregarding environment issues. AWS acquired Cloud9. Google Cloud Function has an in-browser code editor for inline editing, but it’s not aware of any language constructs beyond syntax highlighting.
This can be used to set up environments for Open Source projects to ease new contributors onboarding. Would be cool if I could click a button and I found myself in a fully set up environment with the project's Git repo checked out.
So, VS Express 2010 was 500Mb, then VS 2019 Express required 11 Gb for installation. When it has grown to 100Gb they decided to move it in the cloud.
I said thank you and compiled everything with MINGW on Linux. Apt installed mingw in 30 seconds. And no pain with perl script to create VS solutions, import and configure them, same cmake build works just fine.
[+] [-] lostintangent|6 years ago|reply
Let us know if you have any questions/comments/feedback, since we’re very keen to begin working with the broader developer community, and learning how we can continue to improve. Otherwise, check out the service (https://aka.ms/vso), and then let us know what you think (https://GitHub.com/microsoftdocs/vsonline).
[+] [-] ebg13|6 years ago|reply
So this is NOT Visual Studio but rather VSCode? Do you have insight into why Microsoft keeps making misleading product names? Would it be so horrible to name it VSCode Online instead of Visual Studio Online?
> Let us know if you have any questions
The website says "Use the programming languages and frameworks of your choice". Will that include building and debugging C++ Win32 MFC applications?
[+] [-] jmkni|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] joecot|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] XzAeRosho|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Havoc|6 years ago|reply
>Let us know if you have any questions/comments/feedback
1) Shortcut keys. I hit some shortcut during my hello world testing that didn't have the expected effect (because browser). Given how keyboard heavy developing is are there any plans on unifying this more somehow - VS / VSC / VSO?
2) I gather this is still free, but I assume this will be running off azure credits later?
3) The machines seemed a little heavy spec'd for me. Powerful is nice & a big draw card for cloud. But for my personal use case (casual python) I can see the sweet spot being lower.
4) Please fix the permission request wordings on first launch. Very awkwardly phrased & still not entirely sure what it was asking. It was asking for maintaining some mystery permissions when I'm not online or some such thing?
5) Will GPU instances be available?
Thanks
[+] [-] Someone1234|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] msoad|6 years ago|reply
This could be an immediate hit if I could click on a button in Github to open that repo in it with the environment all setup.
[+] [-] gmaster1440|6 years ago|reply
[1] In ~/.bashrc: PATH=$PATH:/opt/oryx:/opt/nodejs/lts/bin:/opt/dotnet/sdks/lts
[2] ``` Source directory : /home/vsonline/workspace
Using .NET Core SDK Version: 3.0.100
Restoring packages...
Welcome to .NET Core 3.0! ```
[3] ``` /opt/dotnet/sdks/2.1.802/sdk/2.1.802/Sdks/Microsoft.NET.Sdk/targets/Microsoft.NET.TargetFrameworkInference.targets(137,5): error NETSDK1045: The current .NET SDK does not support targeting .NET Core 3.0. Either target .NET Core 2.1 or lower, or use a version of the .NET SDK that supports .NET Core 3.0 ```
[+] [-] charles_f|6 years ago|reply
Reusing the name of a past product for a new product that is not entirely related is pretty confusing.
[+] [-] Dayshine|6 years ago|reply
Is there any guidance on what I would need to do to support VSO? Do I need to do anything?
I'm a bit concerned that it sounds like I have to pay in order to write/test environments. Do you not think this will be a barrier to adoption?
[+] [-] tumetab1|6 years ago|reply
Does the platform support that? Or wants to?
What I would like to stop a comment thread and jump to online-video-session to review some code. Live Share works but requires a stable environment by one of the parties which might be troublesome with some code.
[+] [-] lincolnq|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] anilgulecha|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Const-me|6 years ago|reply
OK. What you wrote on that web site, "run, and debug your applications from any device", reads like a false advertisement.
I do CAD/CAM/CAE, for that I need a physical GPU. I do embedded, for that I need custom physical hardware, running specific build of Linux. I do multimedia, for that I need a physical GPU with all their hardware codecs. I do GPGPU, same thing.
Maybe you should specify which types of applications are actually supported?
[+] [-] ArtWomb|6 years ago|reply
Is there a stand-alone that I can host and run in a cloud vm myself?
[+] [-] Dgaduin|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] sosuke|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] AlexeyBrin|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DoubleFree|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] einpoklum|6 years ago|reply
We should not condone luring people into reliance on closed proprietary technology with "free tiers".
It would be great if people organized and got Intellectual Property thoroughly de-legitimized.
[+] [-] bouke|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lobo42|6 years ago|reply
https://dev.to/svenefftinge/continuous-dev-environments-the-...
(Disclaimer: I work on gitpod.io which is similar to Visual Studio Online)
[+] [-] aikah|6 years ago|reply
The same as Amazon cloud9, and other online IDE, it's about not having to install any SDK on your own computer to develop apps, which is really handy in the era of cheap SSD laptops and mobility.
I have used cloud9 for years, unfortunately the editor itself hasn't had a real update for a long time. So VS online is a welcome addition.
Congrats to the VSO team at Microsoft.
[+] [-] gameswithgo|6 years ago|reply
https://coder.com/
I think some people see value in it as a security feature, or ease of development environment setup. There are also collaborative code editing features. You can both get into a file and type in it at the same time. You can get into your project and work on it from any machine, anywhere, even a phone, potentially.
Personally though, I would never take a job where you do most of your coding in the cloud.
[+] [-] Hates_|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] meddlin|6 years ago|reply
I'm struggling to think of something else though. It sure feels like forward thinking.
[+] [-] Someone1234|6 years ago|reply
The use case for VSCode Online is the same as any other remote development environment, combine it with deployment workflows and or integrated services like Azure and it practically sells itself. Just like Slack the secret sauce here isn't the service itself, it is how it ties into everything else.
[+] [-] tumetab1|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] beamatronic|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] tonyedgecombe|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] OutsmartDan|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] amq|6 years ago|reply
- docker-compose support
- ability to run multiple services from different repos
[+] [-] lostintangent|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] TomFrost|6 years ago|reply
- No documentation on how to clone a private github repo, gitlab repo, etc.
- Cloning a private repo on the command line eschews the ability to bootstrap your VSO instance using the in-repo config, which kills a huge benefit of this product
- No documentation on forwarding ssh-agent or injecting RSA keys of any kind
There are some other needs addressed in other comment threads (particularly registering a remote headless box as a VSO machine) but the above are instant showstoppers. Perhaps this works with private Azure DevOps repos because of the login integration? I'd be willing to wager that the majority of folks interested in this are on other repo hosts, though.
[+] [-] orloffm|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] alephnan|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kissgyorgy|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] oaiey|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] adityakr082|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gketuma|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] samtrack2019|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] nshm|6 years ago|reply
I said thank you and compiled everything with MINGW on Linux. Apt installed mingw in 30 seconds. And no pain with perl script to create VS solutions, import and configure them, same cmake build works just fine.