Targeting Linux with Visual Studio 2015

The Linux operating system has been a popular alternative to Windows for many years. It has found great popularity in server environments, as well as powering many familiar systems, such as Google's Android. With the rise of new devices such as the Raspberry Pi and the staying power of non-Windows operating systems, many developers have found themselves looking for a way to pair their experience with Visual Studio onto these other systems.

Thanks to a new component of VS2015, it is now possible to use Visual Studio to write C++ code that can be compiled and debugged on a Linux- or UNIX-based system. The Visual C++ for Linux extension opens up the world of Linux development while enabling you to use the VS2015 tools you are already familiar with.

In this recipe, you will see how easy it is to use your copy of VS2015 to develop for Linux.

Getting ready

For this recipe, you need to make sure that you have a copy of Visual Studio Community 2015 (or higher...