Can Visual Studio express editions be used for business purposes?

Is there any restrictions on the use of express editions?

There is plenty of information out there eg like the actual products home page.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/products/default.aspx

Please follow this link above to find all the information you need also a quick note you can go to http://www.visualstudio.com that will redirect you to the home page for visual studio.

To answer your questions yes express editions have a lot of limitations. There is no reason it cant be used for business use.

Believe me you want visual studio its a great application and i will never look back on express.

Please mark as answer >>>

There are no restrictions. You can use Express editions for commercial development.

In the wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visual_Studio_Express) it says it is for "....for less serious users, such as hobbyists and students".

I searched in the microsoft site But it does not say any thing about Business Use. So I am puzzled

Yes that is correct as it is for less advacned users / Begginers so to speak. Express is still a great product and if you choose to use it you can allways move on to more complex full featured version but developers with money and by choice will be better off with the full package.

Again you can use the express adition for business use. There is no reason to stop you. You can still deploy projects in the same manner.

Please mark my posts as answers since my answer is identicall if not more detailed

Thank you guys. I wanted proof that express editions can be used for commercial use. Since my business plan was refused due to lack of proof.

 now I got it from http://www.microsoft.com/express/support/faq/ it saysCan I use Express Editions for commercial use?

1. 7. Can I use Express Editions for commercial use?

   Yes, there are no licensing restrictions for applications built using Visual Studio Express Editions.

2. 8. How are Express Editions different from the rest of the Visual Studio and SQL Server Editions?

   Express Edition products are designed for hobbyists, students, and novice developers. As such, they lack the full breadth of features found in higher-end Visual Studio and SQL Server Editions. They are designed specifically for scenarios common to the hobbyist, student, and novice developer. Each Express Edition includes targeted documentation that will help the beginning programmer quickly learn the concepts required to build more advanced applications. The user interfaces are significantly streamlined to ensure that extraneous features do not interfere with the learning process. If you later decide that you do need additional features available in the higher-end editions of Visual Studio and SQL Server, you can seamlessly upgrade your code and skills.

It says 'for hobbyist and students' not because there is some limitations, but rather because Express editions lacks certain features that may make commercial development more efficient and help to release higher quality product. For example, serious team development requires source code control system. Visual Studio does support integration with SCC while Express editions do not. You may also want to install add-ins like Resharper to make your code development more productive. Express editions do not support add-ins. Although it is completely possible to develop high quality Web site using only Notepad, extra tools make developers more efficient and hence Visual Studio is more appropriate since it effectively saves money in the long run.

Again - if you are willing to use Express edition and live with its limitation, you can. There are no legal restrictions.

Thank you for the info.

I am a new programmer who wish to start own business.

I never used Resharper or Source code control before. How does this help in the programming?. Is it worthwile to buy full version just to use the addin?

Is this apply more to team development scenarios or for a single developer as well?

thanks