Giorgio Galante

I'm not entirely sure how Microsoft can explain this one. The disconnected user experience with TFS (all versions, including the upcoming 2010) is absolutely terrible. For source control, there's absolutely no reason to even require an online/offline mode. CVS, SVN and the like don't care if they are connected to your source code repository during file-editing operations (for purposes of flagging a file as 'checked out'.)

It's very common for large corporations to setup VPN systems without a split-tunnel capability - meaning that all network traffic has to go through their VPN, and thus is usually very slow. In scenarios such as this one, a developer would likely prefer to log into the VPN, get latest, log out of the VPN, do 0..N hours of work, log back into the VPN, get latest, check-in, and so on.

My biggest complaint about having to go over my client's VPN tunnel for all track is not a 'big brother'/privacy/I-want-to-surf-the-dark-corners-of-the-web-while-working issue, it's that voice/video calls in Office Communicator R2 (the company's IM client) are very low quality compared to when making direct connections to their internet-facing messaging servers. Is this TFS's fault? Not directly of course. But if it weren't so adamant about being connected during file-check-out operations, I wouldn't bother with the VPN for 90% of my day.

Shame on Microsoft for neglecting this problem for so long (5 years and counting.)