EA and Team Foundation service

[Kevin G. Watson]

Hi..

Has anyone tried to connect EA to the online preview of TFS?

I haven't had a chance to try this myself, my instinct is that the answer is probably a qualified yes.  I'm asking in response to a client enquiry...

Thank you in advance, regards
Kevin [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

[Geert Bellekens]

Kevin,

What is the online preview of TFS, and what do you mean by "connect"?

We have TFS 2008 setup as version control system for EA (migrating to TFS 2010 shortly)

Geert

[Kevin G. Watson]

Hi Greet,

Take a peek over at http://tfspreview.com, the online / public cloud hosted Team Foundation Service.  This is currently only available as a free preview, but will have paid subscription offerings shortly.  Microsoft has been pushing the notion of TFS as a service since /Build last year.

It provides work and bug tracking, source control, remote build, test management (the tests are run locally however).  By connecting you're Azure website to the TFS project you able to publish source modifications, MS is calling this 'Continious Build'.  All the stuff you get with Team Foundation Server, minus the reporting and sharepoint facilities.  Within Visual Studio you use Team Explorer to connect to the hosted service the same as on the on premises server or TFS Express.  I haven't used but there's a plug in for Eclipse, even Xcode and GIT get some connection loving.

The hosted version allows Microsoft to offer updates and enhancements more frequently and removes a significant infrastructure burden on users.  I am quite a fan of this service, and recommend that you have a look at it.  Microsoft has said that they will be offering a free version when the preview is over.

I'm probably highlighting my ignorance of the current EA, as I haven't had an opportunity to use EA for a couple years.  I'm assuming a user can establish a connection with an on-premises Visual Studio 2012 Team Foundation Server from within the EA application or via the VS MDG integration addin.  ( your comment referencing TFS 2008 implies I'm correct in that respect ).  I can't really see any difference between a local server and remote, in either case we communicating over a http link.  

I expect we'll have to wait until Sparx release a new build before we can inter-operate with VS2012.   I do not have enough experience of EA and TFS to judge regard EA moving to TFS 2010 to 2012.  I imagine moving from one version of TFS to another is less problematic for EA than moving from VS 2010 IDE to 2012.

Perhaps it's time to think about evaluating EA again ;-)
Kevin  [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

[Geert Bellekens]

Ah, interesting, so that would be something like GithHub then.

I suppose it shouldn't really make a difference then for the version control part.
EA talks to the local TFS client installed on your machine (tf.exe), so as long as that client can reach the online server i guess you should be fine.

I'm not sure how that would influence the integration with Visual Studio. I've never used that.

Geert

[Kevin G. Watson]

I've always thought of GitHub as an apple thing and avoided.  There's irony it that.

Sunday afternoon, I'll test it with gran.... @Geert, does your Navigator thing provide diagrams for areas of the model that neither author or reader have yet visited?  If you is in fact another Geert altogether, then thank you, a little auto drawing could be useful don't you think?

Have a nice weekend,
Kevin [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

[Geert Bellekens]

Kevin,

I'm sorry, I really don't understand your question.
Can you please explain?

Geert

[qwerty]

I guess this question was the windoze way...

q.

[Kevin G. Watson]

Well qwerty I guess that's one answer, through I'm thinking that ya tagname is something of a hint, knock ya'self out ;-)

Sorry Geert, you are the maker of that navigation aid for lost modellers... I should stop posting when I head a joint but then ya all makes so much more sense.

Me and Grandma tried to use EA using our Samsung //Build kit but that didn't work out... Even when we tried using the traditional desktop... Gran likes to read manuals and it took her till afternoon tea before she located he relevant help topics.  My gran is a test bed subject, my Dad is another, Daniel and  Sophie are standins ( I'm gay so don't have children of my own, my only regret in life.... ).... My mum and two sister just watch n wonder, giggle and natter.

EA is not very Microsoft friendly... And just unusable by Apple Mac and iOS users.

Kevin [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]