Visual Studio, .NET Framework Updates Ship

Visual Studio and the .NET Framework received significant updates in a service pack released in Aug. 2008. Though labeled “service packs,” Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 are really interim releases. They update the developer tools and .NET Framework platform with new technologies that reduce coding and simplify maintenance for Web applications and database code, and deliver several improvements for developing thick-client PC applications. However, SP1 does not include several other highly anticipated development technologies that the Visual Studio team began previewing in late 2007.

ASP.NET Dynamic Data Speeds Web Applications

The Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 deliver two notable improvements for Web programming:

ASP.NET Dynamic Data. This feature automatically generates Web pages at runtime that enable users to view and edit data in databases. Developers can customize the look and feel of the pages and can add logic for some tasks, such as validating input data. Dynamic Data can be used to quickly bring up Web applications for tasks such as contact management or asset tracking that organizations have often handled with Microsoft Access. However, the ASP.NET server-side controls that Dynamic Data uses could also find employment in larger Web applications and sites.