[drapper]

In my previous experiences with VS Express the installed version took about 10GBs of disk space and included plenty of stuff I didn't want or cared about, like various versions of MS SQL Server, support for VB, different runtimes for .NET, etc.

Anyone knows if there's a way to avoid that? I'd like to have "just an IDE", for node and web development.

[timrichard]

> Anyone knows if there's a way to avoid that? I'd like to have "just an IDE", for node and web development.

Sorry to reply on a tangent, but for that sort of development I feel compelled to chip in and recommend WebStorm. It's not free, but ships with a boatload of features that are perfect for NodeJS/WebDev. Like a reverse-debugger that you can use on your serverside as well as front-end code. A real time-saver.

http://blog.jetbrains.com/webstorm/2014/04/spy-js-webstorm-s...

[drapper]

I know WebStorm, thanks, wanna try the competition :)

[gambiting]

Every single edition of VS I have ever tried(and I worked with every one beginning with 6 all the way to 2012) had an option to uncheck SQL Server during installation. Granted, I have not worked with the Express editions,but I don't see why it would be any different.

[tacos]

Visual Studio express comes in different editions, so it's unlikely that Visual C# Express installed Visual BASIC, as that was what Visual BASIC Express is. And running the Express for Web 2013 installer says it will use less than 1GB of disk space.

What that out of the way, within five seconds of clicking the link here it computed 7GB of disk space. It did not provide options to ignore subcomponents like the full VS 2013/4.

My experience is that the MS tools stuff installs and uninstalls cleanly -- and what little it leaves behind are some system components that I'd prefer to have updated and left around anyway. If this freaks you out then that's what VMs are for.

[tegeek]

During installation you can choose a customize path and un-check everything you dont need.

http://i.stack.imgur.com/Evju1.png

[obsurveyor]

There are checkboxes to not install SQL, MFC libraries and friends. It makes it a 9GB vs. 10GB install, according to its stated amount, I didn't check actual usage.

[michielvoo]

I compared the Win32_Products that are installed before and after. Even with all checkboxes unchecked, the installer adds 100+ packages. Unfortunately most of these are not listed in the add/remove programs control panel.

[stoolpigeon]

I set up a VirtualBox instance of Windows 7 with VS 2013 CE - it took up close to 30 gig with nothing else installed.

[toni]

Nodeclipse[1] is pretty good for doing node/web development. It supports Node/Angular/ExpressJS and many other little bits and pieces out of the box.

[1] http://www.nodeclipse.org/

[BloatControl]

Welcome to the Mickysoft BloatWorld. And do not forget to get the new 700+ MB Update, so you can live up to even more bloat - this update alone flatulated 5+ GB on the harddrives I have seen.

This is not just about "style" or "personal preference", it is a serious problem: it eats too much energy and therefore destroys the planet, millions of old but perfectly usable devices are transformed into highly dangerous toxic waste because Windows 8x is too slow for them and - most important - we loose a whole generation of brains as too many young developers grow up in the perception that this kind of bloat is acceptable, what is a real catastrophe for the whole industry - it is so hard to find people that can program without crutches and really know what they are doing.

We should more actively avoid this bloat and support better alternatives.

Yes, Mickysoft jobs pay the bills for many, but this happened because we tolerated this too long and alternatives were too weak. Nowadays it is possible to replace all the legacy MS waste that still exists in many companies with better solutions.

[badgersandjam]

It pays the bills because it solves problems.

I run windows on a 4 year old thinkpad. It's 8.1 on an i5. It goes like lightning and the battery lasts twice as long as Ubuntu does on the same kit even after powertop has been frigged with.

Also my wife's android handset has 25% more battery capacity than my Lumia 630 and lasts half as long.

YMMV but what you state is not factual and merely a slashdot-esque troll.

[stinos]

The hate is strong with this one.. To the point it's blinding and making it hard to write a company's name properly :P

[wfjackson]

I'll bite the troll in the off chance you're serious.

Wait, Open Source is magically free of bloatware? OpenOffice, Firefox, KDE?

Try running a modern Linux desktop distro like Ubuntu on a 10 year old machine or a 5 year old netbook. Open ten tabs with sites like Gmail, YouTube etc. in Firefox on that machine and then get back to us.

And since Windows 7, the minimum requirements have been steady and boot time has been pretty fast.

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000020.html