Microsoft plans to acquire technology that has enabled Microsoft's TFS (Team Foundation Server) software to be an ALM (application lifecycle management) server for different software development platforms. The company will purchase Teamprise-related assets from SourceGear. Teamprise software lets Java developers using Eclipse-based IDEs or developers leveraging operating systems including Unix, Linux, and Mac OS X build applications via Visual Studio TFS.
Microsoft's move is in recognition of heterogeneous development shops building in both .Net and Java, Microsoft officials said. TFS serves as a central software artifacts repository. "We've just built a bridge to Java developers. ... If you're building [in] Java today and want to share assets with Visual Studio developers, you'll do that with the Teamprise technologies," said Dave Mendlen, Microsoft's senior director of development marketing.
[ InfoWorld's Martin Heller shows off the highlights of Visual Studio 2010. ]
Users often have a business need to develop on multiple platforms but developers must collaborate and understand different parts of the work being done, said Doug Seven, senior product manager for Visual Studio at Microsoft.
Microsoft's acquisition of Teamprise technologies addresses concerns of development shops reluctant to deal with a smaller vendor like SourceGear, said analyst Jeffrey Hammond of Forrester Research. "They were uncomfortable with a small partner providing the connectivity for their Java development teams," Hammond said. "Now they have Microsoft supporting their Java developers if they choose TFS as their single ALM solution.
Microsoft's Seven concurred that some customers had issues with the previous arrangement. "We've had a close relationship with Teamprise for a long time as being the provider of our heterogeneous development support, and both of us have heard from joint customers for a long time that it has been a struggle," Seven said.
Hammond lauded the acquisition. "I think it's a great move, and they should have made it a long time ago," he said. TFS offers a less expensive alternative to products such as Rational Team Concert, Hammond said.
Functionality from Teamprise Client Suite will be integrated into Microsoft's Visual Studio product line beginning with the Visual Studio 2010 IDE. Visual Studio 2010 will be officially launched on March 22, 2010 and ship around that time.
Leveraging Teamprise Client Suite technologies, developers on multiple platforms can use TFS for version control, work-item tracking, build management process guidance and business intelligence.
Teamprise Client Suite includes:
Teamprise Client Suite technology will be updated to work with TFS 2010, which will feature improvements in areas such as work item-tracking and build automation. The Teamprise software will continue to work with prior versions of TFS as well.
Customers can jointly purchase Teamprise Client Suite technology and one Team Foundation Server client access license. Also, customers with the Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN variant of the software development platform will receive Teamprise Client technology as part of their subscription.
SourceGear will continue to support Teamprise products and sell the latest release of the suite until the Microsoft-branded product is available.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
This story, "Microsoft buys bridge between Java and .Net developers," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in application development at InfoWorld.com.
Read more about developer world in InfoWorld's Developer World Channel.
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts
21 Recommendations
