.NET Framework 3 News and Announcements

.NET 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008 RTM Today!

justinjsmith — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:37:00 GMT

Today we released the .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008. Here are some key resources related to the release:

Visual Studio 2008 Homepage on MSDN

Visual Studio "Orcas" Beta 1 now available!

jamescon — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:33:00 GMT

Today we released Beta 1 of the next version of Visual Studio and .NET framework, code named “Orcas”. Here are some key resources for Visual Studio "Orcas":

Please keep in mind that this is an early release of Visual Studio and you are encouraged to install "Orcas" on a secondary machine or in a virtual machine. If you have any feedback on Visual Studio and the .NET Framework "Orcas", then please share your feedback in the connect site. You can also find MSDN forums for several of the new Orcas features here.

.NET Framework 3.0 has been released!

jamescon — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:27:00 GMT

The .NET Framework 3.0 has officially been released! You can download the .NET Framework 3.0 components here:

Note, if you are using Windows Vista the .NET Framework 3.0 Runtime Components are installed by default.

The Readme for the released version of the .NET Framework 3.0 is available here. If you have a previous CTP installed, please be sure to review the uninstall instructions. If you have questions about installing the .NET Framework 3.0, please post your questions to the .NET Framework Setup Forum.

.NET Framework 3.0 Release Candidate 1

jamescon — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 04:53:00 GMT

The release candidate 1 for the .NET Framework 3.0 is now available! You can download the components for the RC1 here:

The Readme for RC1 is available here.

There is also a go-live license available for the release candidate. You can find more information about the license and sign the online go-live license here.

Please note: The Visual Studio "Orcas" development tools for the .NET Framework 3.0 Release Candidate 1 have not been released yet. We will update this post with a link to the tools when they are available.

Update:

The Visual Studio "Orcas" CTP - Tools for .NET Framework 3.0 RC1 are now available. These tools provide the Visual Studio project templates for WPF and WCF.

The online documentation for the Windows SDK for Vista RC1 and the .NET Framework 3.0 RC1 is also now available. Here are the direct links to the documentation for the .NET Framework 3.0 technologies:

.NET Framework 3.0 July CTP

jamescon — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:59:00 GMT

Today we released the .NET Framework 3.0 July CTP. You can download the components for the July CTP here:

The Readme for the July CTP is available here.

Please note: The July CTP is intended for use with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. This release is not compatible with Windows Vista Beta 2. The July CTP will also be available with the Windows Vista July release (build 5472).

Update: Here is some additional info about the July CTP, courtesy of Tom Archer's blog. Tom has also created a nice download matrix to help you make sense of these CTPs.

There is no July CTP build of the “Orcas” Development Tools for the .NET Framework 3.0
Windows Vista July CTP (5472.5) is only available for MSDN subscribers and beta members
The July CTP includes builds of the .NET Framework 3.0 Runtime Components and Windows SDK for use with Windows Vista July CTP (5472.5), Windows XP or Windows 2003 Server
The July CTP builds of .NET Framework 3.0 Runtime Components and Windows SDK are not supported for .NET 3.0 development on Windows Vista Beta 2 or Windows Vista June CTP
The July CTP is required if you would like to use Windows CardSpace in the Windows CardSpace sandbox site.

Welcome to NetFx3.com

jamescon — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 02:34:00 GMT

NetFx3.com is a new developer community that focuses on the four new technologies included in the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (the technologies formerly known as WinFx):

NetFx3.com is based in part on the feedback we received for the WindowsWorkflow.net and WindowsCommunication.net sites that were launched. The Windows Workflow Foundation and Windows Communication Foundation sites are now represented as “sub-communities” within NetFx3.com. We have also created new sub-communities for Windows Presentation Foundation and Windows CardSpace, so that the four new pillars of the .NET Framework 3.0 are fully represented in this site.

The site has been designed to aggregate information on the .NET Framework 3.0 technologies from product team and community bloggers, MSDN forums, and Channel 9. You can easily find and share samples, code snippets, and other resources.

Please browse the site, download some samples, and share your feedback. We really want to hear how we can improve this site and provide the demos, samples, and resources that you need to develop application using the .NET Framework 3.0.

Finally, the launch of this site is just the begining. We have several exciting features and improvements planned for the next few months. The best way to stay up to date on the news related to the .NET Framework 3.0 is to subscribe to the NetFx3 News Feed