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  1. Stackups
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  5. Microsoft Visio vs Visual Studio

Microsoft Visio vs Visual Studio

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Visual Studio
Visual Studio
Stacks59.6K
Followers37.9K
Votes1.1K
Microsoft Visio
Microsoft Visio
Stacks140
Followers153
Votes7

Microsoft Visio vs Visual Studio: What are the differences?

Microsoft Visio and Visual Studio are both popular tools in the Microsoft ecosystem, but they serve different purposes.

  1. Functionality: Microsoft Visio is primarily used for creating diagrams and visualizations, while Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) for building software applications.

  2. Target Users: Visio is commonly used by business professionals, project managers, and analysts for designing process flows, organizational charts, and network diagrams. On the other hand, Visual Studio is designed for software developers and programmers who use it for coding, debugging, and testing applications.

  3. Features: Visio offers a wide range of pre-built templates and shapes that make it easy to create professional-looking diagrams. It also has collaboration features, allowing multiple users to work on a diagram simultaneously. Visual Studio, on the other hand, provides powerful code editing tools, integrated debugging, version control, and project management features.

  4. Integration: Visual Studio is tightly integrated with the Microsoft development ecosystem. It supports multiple programming languages and frameworks and can be used for developing applications for various platforms, including desktop, web, mobile, and cloud. Visio, on the other hand, can be integrated with other Microsoft products like PowerPoint and Word, allowing users to import or export diagrams into these applications.

  5. Development Workflow: Visual Studio provides a complete development environment with features like code intelligence, syntax highlighting, and code refactoring tools. It also supports built-in testing and profiling capabilities. Visio, on the other hand, focuses on the visual aspect of designing and doesn't offer the extensive development capabilities provided by Visual Studio.

  6. Learning Curve: Visual Studio is a powerful tool with many advanced features, making it more suitable for experienced developers. On the other hand, Visio is designed to be user-friendly and accessible to non-technical users, requiring less technical expertise to create diagrams and visualizations.

In summary, Microsoft Visio is a diagramming tool primarily used by business professionals to create visualizations, while Visual Studio is an integrated development environment targeted towards software developers. The key differences include functionality, target users, features, integration, development workflow, and learning curve.

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Advice on Visual Studio, Microsoft Visio

Julien
Julien

Principal Software Engineer at Stessa

Mar 17, 2019

DecidedonMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft VisioLucidchartLucidchart

When starting my new role at #Stessa, I needed a solution to start diagramming some of my #Architecture so I'd be able to share my views on #SystemArchitecture with the rest of the team.

#Visualization is key. Especially when working with complex/distributed systems. You want to make sure everybody's got the same understanding of your approach, so you can better communicate, and start delegating more.

In the past, I had worked with #VisualParadigm for #UML, in both desktop and #SaaS version of the product. Also worked with #LucidChart We also looked at potential alternatives such as Microsoft Visio for instance.

Ultimately, my recommendation was & we closed on Lucidchart, as it won on couple of key aspects : #Team #Collaboration, #Integrations with #AWS for instance, and certain specific visualizations we were looking for / others didn't have.

This isn't just for #Engineering. I've seen Lucidchart being used by #Product Teams, #Network #Engineers, #IT Departments, #DevOps, or non-Engineering related teams.

379k views379k
Comments
William
William

Sep 10, 2019

Needs advice

The problem I have is whether to choose Android Studio or Visual Studio? I have to develop a simple app for a school project that can work on both iPhone and Android.

The most important factors for me are Android and iOS compatibility. Although note that i would like to become a Software Engineer when i finish my course. (I'd like to work for Apple, just saying!)

After that id like easy integration for Google Ads and such if i do develop another app that people actually use to support development. (I'd also like to stick with one easy programming language that's compatible with a wide variety of platforms since i'm a beginner and have only ever used Pascal)

565k views565k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Visual Studio
Visual Studio
Microsoft Visio
Microsoft Visio

Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.

Create flowcharts, diagrams, org charts, floor plans, engineering designs, and more, using modern shapes and templates with the familiar Office experience.

-
Versatile templates and thousands of shapes; Support for industry standards; Built-in validation; Simultaneous team editing; In-app commenting; Real-time presence indicators; Simple, highly secure sharing; Simple data linking; Data-connected org charts
Statistics
Stacks
59.6K
Stacks
140
Followers
37.9K
Followers
153
Votes
1.1K
Votes
7
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 305
    Intellisense, ui
  • 244
    Complete ide and debugger
  • 165
    Plug-ins
  • 104
    Integrated
  • 93
    Documentation
Cons
  • 16
    Bulky
  • 14
    Made by Microsoft
  • 6
    Sometimes you need to restart to finish an update
  • 3
    Too much size for disk
  • 3
    Only avalible on Windows
Pros
  • 7
    Libraries allow the quick creation of diagrams

What are some alternatives to Visual Studio, Microsoft Visio?

PhpStorm

PhpStorm

PhpStorm is a PHP IDE which keeps up with latest PHP & web languages trends, integrates a variety of modern tools, and brings even more extensibility with support for major PHP frameworks.

IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA

Out of the box, IntelliJ IDEA provides a comprehensive feature set including tools and integrations with the most important modern technologies and frameworks for enterprise and web development with Java, Scala, Groovy and other languages.

WebStorm

WebStorm

WebStorm is a lightweight and intelligent IDE for front-end development and server-side JavaScript.

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.

PyCharm

PyCharm

PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!

Eclipse

Eclipse

Standard Eclipse package suited for Java and plug-in development plus adding new plugins; already includes Git, Marketplace Client, source code and developer documentation. Click here to file a bug against Eclipse Platform.

Android Studio

Android Studio

Android Studio is a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. It provides new features and improvements over Eclipse ADT and will be the official Android IDE once it's ready.

RubyMine

RubyMine

JetBrains RubyMine IDE provides a comprehensive Ruby code editor aware of dynamic language specifics and delivers smart coding assistance, intelligent code refactoring and code analysis capabilities.

CLion

CLion

Knowing your code through and through, CLion can take care of the routine while you focus on the important things. Boost your productivity with the keyboard-centric approach (Vim-emulation plugin is also available in plugin repository), full coding assistance, smart and relevant code completion, fast project navigation, intelligent intention actions, and reliable refactorings.

Xcode

Xcode

The Xcode IDE is at the center of the Apple development experience. Tightly integrated with the Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, Xcode is an incredibly productive environment for building amazing apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

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