.NET 3.0 or .NET 3.5 for WPF?

[Sin Jeong-hun]

Hi.

If I want to create a WPF application, and am not interested in other
stuffs like WCF or WWF, is there any advantage in building it
targeting the .NET Framework 3.5? Windows Vista comes with .NET
Framework 3.0 installed, so if I target .NET 3.0, at least I don't
have to worry about deploying the .NET framework on Windows Vista. I'd
like to know anything improved in .NET 3.5 in respect to WPF which is
worth taking the additional task of installing .NET 3.5 on the end-
user's Windows Vista systems.

I've heard that .NET 3.5 service pack 1 beta has support for shader,
but let's not take the 3.5 sp 1 into consideration because it's still
in beta stage thus not appropriate for general release.

 

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

If I want to create a WPF application, and am not interested in other
stuffs like WCF or WWF, is there any advantage in building it
targeting the .NET Framework 3.5?

Well, there are nice things in .NET 3.5 such as LINQ and TimeZoneOffset
- but I don't think it has any WPF enhancements directly.

Windows Vista comes with .NET
Framework 3.0 installed, so if I target .NET 3.0, at least I don't
have to worry about deploying the .NET framework on Windows Vista.

Indeed. You may want 3.0SP1 though. I don't know the details of the
differences, mind you.

I'd like to know anything improved in .NET 3.5 in respect to WPF
which is worth taking the additional task of installing .NET 3.5 on
the end- user's Windows Vista systems.

I've heard that .NET 3.5 service pack 1 beta has support for shader,
but let's not take the 3.5 sp 1 into consideration because it's still
in beta stage thus not appropriate for general release.

On the other hand, it may well be out of beta before your app is
finished.

 

[Scott M.]

WCF and WF (not WWF) and WPF are all part of the 3.x Frameworks. There is
no separation of those technologies.

The 3.5 Framework adds API's for Ajax and LINQ (and I believe Silverlight).

So if you are only interested in WPF, you could go with 3.0. But, why not
target 3.5? It will most likely be introduced to Vista via a SP or other
update and it's easy enough to include it in your installer package if the
user doesn't have it.

-Scott

 

[Sin Jeong-hun]

WCF and WF (not WWF) and WPF are all part of the 3.x Frameworks.  Thereis
no separation of those technologies.

The 3.5 Framework adds API's for Ajax and LINQ (and I believe Silverlight).

So if you are only interested in WPF, you could go with 3.0.  But, why not
target 3.5?  It will most likely be introduced to Vista via a SP or other
update and it's easy enough to include it in your installer package if the
user doesn't have it.

Does Windows Vista Service Pack 1 come with .NET framework 3.5? I've
installed SP1 but before that, I already had installed .NET 3.5 so I'm
not sure whether Vista SP1 contains .NET 3.5 or not.

 

[Leonardo]

Does Windows Vista Service Pack 1 come with .NET framework 3.5? I've

installed SP1 but before that, I already had installed .NET 3.5 so I'm
not sure whether Vista SP1 contains .NET 3.5 or not.

Vista SP1 (like Windows Server 2008) contains .Net framework 3.0 SP1. Not
3.5 is included.

Leonardo

 

[Pavel Minaev]

Well, there are nice things in .NET 3.5 such as LINQ and TimeZoneOffset
- but I don't think it has any WPF enhancements directly.

It does, if you count 3.0 SP1 as part of 3.5. See "What's New in
Windows Presentation Foundation Version 3.5" on MSDN:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb613588.aspx