Visual-studio – what is Visual Studio 2008 Shell (integrated mode)

shellvisual studiovisual-studio-2008

I am new to Visual Studio 2008 Shell (integrated mode), I just want to know what is its function? (I did not find much clearly from the web.)

From http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/bb510103.aspx
looks like it is some interface/framework to allow tools to integrate with VSTS IDE. My question is whether any Microsoft VSTS tools (like databse designer and other tools in VSTS) dependent on VSTS Shell? I am asking this question because it is conflicting with SQL Server 2008, and I want to make sure that if I uninstaill VSTS Shell, it does not impact anything.

thanks in advance,
George

Best Answer

SQL Server 2008 Management Studio using the VS 2008 Shell. (That's why it looks and feels just like Visual Studio).