Microsoft event recap: Visual Studio for Mac, new Office add-ons and more

Right now, Microsoft’s BUILD conference is taking place, where the company outlines several different areas that it hopes to help developers. Most of the stage time was devoted to upcoming products like the HoloLens and the new Windows 10 platform, but there was some talk of iOS and Mac in there, which we’ve rounded up for you.

Visual Studio for Mac

Microsoft today announced the first version of Visual Studio compatible with Mac and Linux, called Visual Studio Code. The new software will allow developers to write code in .NET, JavaScript and a number of other languages in an “incredibly lightweight” environment with features like Git version tracking and IntelliSense support. Microsoft is also issuing a preview release of .NET Core runtime distributions for Mac and Linux.

Previously, these tools were only available on Windows, so the move to open them up is yet another sign of CEO Satya Nadella’s desire to create cross-platform products. The just-released MS Band fitness tracker supports multiple platforms, and as of February Microsoft had more than 100 mobile apps on iOS and Android.

With the new Studio Code, developers will be able to develop apps for each of the platforms it supports, including Windows, OS X and Linux.

As revealed by the official Twitter account, the new Studio Code will be made available to download for those interested once the keynote winds down:

[via @code]