visual studio 2008 (orcas) releases in november

it's official.  at teched barcelona, soma (developer division executive) let the crowd know that microsoft will release visual studio 2008 and the .net framework v3.5 by the end of november!

this is really great news for early adopters and people wanting to get a jump start.  as to 'when can i get it' is a good question.  "RTM" or release-to-manufacturing is the process which software makers seal their bits, close out the version, whatever you want to call it and call the project milestone done.  as to when it gets into developers' hands depends on the distribution channel.  usually enterprise subscribers (msdn subscribers) will get first crack at it because they could download it usually < 2 weeks after the product RTMs.  manufacturing DVDs and product packs take a bit longer, so it isn't going to be in stores anytime in november i'm sure.  it is best to understand your personal licensing situation and contact your license representative, reseller, or other distribution channel to figure out when you can get your hands on it.  msdn is the easiest way...consider getting a subscription -- as an independent developer it was the best investment i could have ever made.