Download Tips: Do more with your Visual Studio 2005

Visual Studio 2005 is finally released, but there's more you can add to your Visual Studio for free to do be able to achieve even more.

Here are my findings so far:

• Visual Studio SDK
  This is the final release version of the Visual Studio 2005 SDK for use with the RTM versions of Visual Studio 2005. Includes the SDK as well as the Team System Extensibility Kit (with Team Foundation Server PowerToys).
• Refactor!™ for Visual Basic® .NET 2005 (by Developer Express)
  Refactor! is freely available to all Visual Basic .NET 2005 developers and offers a comprehensive suite of tools that enable you and your team to simplify and shape complex code - making it easier to read and less costly to maintain.
• Visual Studio Team System Customization Toolkit
  Used to graphically manage process templates, work item types, and global lists.
• Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 3.0 for Microsoft .NET
  The Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 3.0 for Microsoft® .NET is an add-on to Microsoft Visual Studio® 2005 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 that enables developers to build secure Web services based on the latest Web services protocol specifications.
• LINQ Project (Preview)
  The LINQ Project is a codename for a set of extensions to the .NET Framework that encompass language-integrated query, set, and transform operations. It extends C# and Visual Basic with native language syntax for queries and provides class libraries to take advantage of these capabilities.
• Windows Workflow Foundation Beta 1.2 for Office "12" (Preview)
  Provides developers with support for building Windows Workflow Foundation applications with release versions of .NET Framework 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005, as well as Office "12" (Beta 1).

Application Blocks & Samples

• Composite UI Application Block for .NET Framework 2.0
  This application block is [...] provides proven practices to build complex smart client user interfaces based on well known design patterns such as the Composite pattern, in which simple user interface parts can be combined to create complex solutions, but at the same time allowing these parts to be independently developed, tested, and deployed.
• Enterprise Library for .NET Framework 2.0
  The patterns & practices Enterprise Library is a library of application blocks designed to assist developers with common enterprise development challenges. Application blocks are a type of guidance, provided as source code that can be used "as is," extended, or modified by developers to use on enterprise development projects.
• Visual Studio 2005 Automation Samples
  These code samples show you how to build VSMacros projects, add-ins, and wizards to make your teams more productive and to customize Visual Studio 2005 to the ways you like to work.

IntelliSense XML Files

• IntelliSense XML Files for Visual Studio Tools for Office Developers 
  Adds summary descriptions of types, members, and parameters to IntelliSense ToolTips in code and in the Object Browser for Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, and Microsoft Office 2003 Shared PIAs in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 and Visual Studio 2005.
• SharePoint Portal Server 2003: IntelliSense XML Files
  This download includes updates of the XML files used to produce IntelliSense® information about the Microsoft® Office SharePoint Portal Server and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services managed object models within the Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET integrated development environment (IDE).
• Windows SharePoint Services: IntelliSense XML File
  This download includes an update of the XML file used to produce IntelliSense® information for the Microsoft® Windows® SharePoint® Services managed object model within the Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET IDE.

Code Snippets

• Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office IntelliSense Code Snippets
  This download contains 71 IntelliSense code snippets for use with Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office.
• Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Sample: Outlook Snippets
  This download contains IntelliSense code examples for developing custom add-ins for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.
• 2007 Office System Sample: Open XML File Format Code Snippets for Visual Studio 2005
  Download this package to install open XML file format code snippets for use with Visual Studio 2005.

Language Packs

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the Microsoft Office System (VSTO2005) Language Package
  Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the Microsoft Office System language pack contains translated text, such as error messages, for languages other than English.

Community Projects

• Power Collections 1.0 for .NET 2.0 RTM
  A Community Project to Develop the Best Public License Collection Classes for .NET.

This post will be constantly updated as new extensions are available.

Your Feedback requested!

Found a VS2005 extention you want to be mentioned here? Drop me a comment!