Smart Devices Native C++ Debugger

I’m a developer for the Smart Devices Native Debugger that will be released with Visual Studio Whidbey. We have been working really hard on delivering a solid native C++ debugger for smart devices (including devices in the Pocket PC family, Smartphone family, and custom Windows CE devices).

For those that have used eVC 4.x for native debugging, you’ll be glad to know that we have re-architected the native debugger for Whidbey. Whereas in eVC 4.x, the native debugger was a direct port from the desktop native debugger (and thus, assumptions about data location and speed of access to data did not match the requirements for device debugging scenarios), we have designed the new native debugger with device constraints as the main design factor. While I cannot dwell into performance specifics, those of you attending Microsoft MDC will receive alpha bits that you can test out yourself.

In addition to the performance gains, the new native debugger will be completely integrated into the new Visual Studio Whidbey IDE, allowing for desktop debugging experience for native device programmers.

We are excited about the upcoming Whidbey release – for those that manage to get their hands on the alpha version of Visual Studio Whidbey at Microsoft MDC, please post feedback on the native debugger, as we will be sure to incorporate the feedback into the next public release of Visual Studio Whidbey.