Microsoft Build 2013: 'We want to move beyond numbered software versions, but we're not there yet' says development VP

Despite company move to Cloud and SaaS, regular updates still not suitable for all software, says Somasegar

"Some day we want to get to the world were we don't have numbered versions anymore, but we're not there yet," Microsoft corporate VP of development Sivaramakrishnan Somasegar said today.

Speaking at Microsoft's Build 2013 conference in a Visual Studio 2013 session, Somasegar reflected on user demand for quicker updates to Microsoft's integrated development environment [IDE], saying:

"Cadence is something that all of us at Microsoft are thinking more about what it means.

"We may ship every year, or nine months or I don't know what. But the thing we want to move towards is to deliver updates on a regular cadence."

Somasegar said that Microsoft's concern with Visual Studio is maintaining the environment's cross-platform developmental features.

"You have to think about what you want out of Visual Studio on different platforms," said Somasegar.
"So whether to update over weeks or months or years, that's still something we're learning as we go along. What we've had to learn over the last 12 months is how often to update software compared to maintaining a high level of productivity for our customers."

Microsoft Office 365, for example, now stands at a cadence of quarterly updates, with a blog on Microsoft's website stating an intention to do the same for "client business", such as the regular Office suit.

But this model doesn't yet suit Visual Studio, said Somasegar.

"Some day we want to get to the world were we don't have numbered versions anymore, but we're not there yet."

It hasn't stopped the Visual Studio team trying to fit the frequent update model, however, "[but] it's about trying to think of things we can get done in an update timeframe, so whenever things changed at that level, we always decided we'd have to move away from an update and make a new version," concluded Somasegar.