The Different Versions of Dot NET

I know they're twins, but they have such different personalities!

Talk about a headache

Each .NET Release brings one more ADDITIONAL version to install. This means that when you want to run a program

that uses .NET 3.5 and you already have .NET 2.0, the process of installing .NET 3.5 will NOT replace .NET 2.0 and

you will now have two different versions of .NET on the same computer.

To be precise, Instead of upgrading them like most normal software, you have to keep multiple versions installed at

one time depending on the applications you plan on using.

As a developer, manager or user this can be a pain to keep track of and can be quite confusing.

Summary

Each .NET release brings with it major functionality. After this article, you will understand why they exist

concurrently rather than being upgrades, and you will understand some of the major functionality that each

version brings with it.

Explanation

Basically what's happening, is that each new version of .NET is like a whole new product. It's like a whole new Program rather than an upgrade to an existing program.

The reason this is done is so that new releases of .NET do not BREAK programs that rely on an old version.

The difference between .NET and many other programs is that other applications RELY on .NET and changes to .NET

will affect the stability of your computer. If instead you were to somehow upgrading .NET in-place, it would be the

equivalent of trying to upgrade your operating system without re-installing your programs. While anything is

possible, most computer technicians will tell you to steer clear.

As for what's in the different versions, .NET 2.0 was a major milestone release including many really important

features. Included were many API changes, Language capabilities such as Generics, and Full 64bit compatibility.

When .NET 3.5 arrived, it offered some extremely sought after components such as Windows Presentation Foundation and Windows Workflow. These two

subsystems alone provided substantial benefit to .NET developers and companies using them alike.

With version 4.0 for instance, Microsoft focused on concurrent programming which is a bane for most

developers. They released an extension to the LINQ "query language" to allow for more parallel computations to be

performed in searching.

It Took Forethought

Microsoft spent a lot of time developing each version of .NET. Their product is extremely well organized and the

way it was released also shows substantially good planning.

Because of their forethought in planning .NET, if you install .NET Version 3.5 or 4.0 it will not break any existing .NET

2.0 applications. Yet they are still able to release functionality that is not compatible with 2.0 by simply making the new versions work like a totally separate

product.

This is extremely important, because many companies rely on these programs for the show to go on.

Wrapping it up

.NET Versions are released not as upgrades, but as completely separate products. This is done to allow the old versions to keep working after the new version is released.

Versions 2.0, 3.5 and 4.0 all brought significant functionality to the table.

Microsoft planned effectively to allow this seamless transition from version to version, which allows us all to

sleep better at night.

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