Preview of docs.microsoft.com (Microsoft Documentation Site) gets released

Microsoft has interviewed hundreds of developers and IT experts and gathered feedback on UserVoice and the firm has decided that it’s time to bring a new documentation service.

TechNet, the website that offers resources and tools for IT professionals to better understand Microsoft’s products and technologies, MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network), aimed at helping them build applications for websites, Windows Phone, and Xbox consoles are built on “a 10 to 15-year-old brittle codebase with an archaic publishing and deployment system that was never designed to run on the cloud”.

In response to this, Microsoft will release docs.microsoft.com, “a new hope for documentation from Microsoft” — but only in preview form.

docs.microsoft.com will come with many improvements made especially for readability to increase reading speed and comprehension . Since “many of you are learning/evaluating technology a few minutes between meetings and you’re more likely to read articles if you knew how much of a time commitment is required”, Microsoft is offering estimated reading times as well.

The length of articles will be shortened in order to make it easier for users to read them and navigate through them. Microsoft made them smaller and included logical steps and buttons with which developers and IT specialists can go on to the next article.

Another key factor is the responsive design: those who have small screens who want to know what selections they’d get on the desktop version will click on the Options button. That’s joined by other features that users will find useful like light/dark themes and social sharing.

Microsoft has just released the docs.microsoft.com preview which provides documentation for the company’s Enterprise Mobility products and users can agree that the site loads 50-300% faster. Users who will visit old MSDN/TechNet pages will be redirected to the new site where more content will be moved over time.

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