A set of class libraries and a run-time environment for developing and running managed code applications
Sidebar highlights factors and details not discussed in Microsoft’s .NET migration accounts.
Microsoft experiences upgrading internal applications from the .NET Framework to .NET could help customers understand the benefits and hurdles of migration.
Visual Basic is essentially deprecated but is supported with .NET 5.0, and C# 9.0 and F# 5.0 are generally available.
.NET 5, expected to be generally available in late 2020, aims to unify Microsoft’s primary .NET offerings, although some unification has been delayed to .NET 6.
Release dates of recent and upcoming .NET offerings are shown here.
.NET Core 3.0 adds support for building desktop applications using the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Windows Forms.
.NET 5, planned for 2020, will merge current .NET offerings into one runtime and API library, which could help developers and IT staff.
An update to the support policy for the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 separates its support timeline from that of the OS it is running on for certain OS versions.
.NET software development technologies continue to receive Microsoft investment as they compete with popular rivals
Illustration shows subcomponents of the .NET Framework