While you can technically still download it from the Visual Studio Subscriptions archive, you will run into walls:
Visual Studio 2015 was the first version to ship with built directly into the installer. Before this, Python development on Windows was often relegated to lightweight text editors. VS 2015 brought IntelliSense, debugging, and profiling to Python, making it a viable IDE for data science long before it was trendy in the .NET world. visual studio 2015 community edition
Why would anyone install a 2015 IDE in 2024? While you can technically still download it from
For C++ developers, 2015 was a renaissance. It introduced constexpr , variable templates, and a vastly improved IDE experience. The debugging tools—specifically the diagnostic tools window that showed CPU and Memory graphs in real-time—made hunting memory leaks almost enjoyable. Why would anyone install a 2015 IDE in 2024
If you are learning the ropes or maintaining a legacy system, don't let anyone tell you that you need the "latest and greatest" to be productive. Great software is built with skill, not just the newest IDE.
One of the coolest features was the Visual Studio Emulator for Android. It ran on Hyper-V and was blazingly fast compared to the standard Android AVD manager. It also had cool features like simulated GPS and battery pulls. (Of course, it required Windows 8/10 Pro, which was a headache for Home edition users, but when it worked, it was magic).