Simplified Development of Web and Data-Driven Applications
The .NET Framework 3.5, released in November 2007, already contains significant improvements for developing Web 2.0 applications and dynamic Web sites, including new server controls and a client-script library for AJAX-style applications, as well as tight integration with IIS7. With .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, the .NET Framework now offers support for ASP.NET Dynamic Data, which provides a rich scaffolding framework that allows rapid data-driven development without writing code.
Furthermore, the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 includes ADO.NET Data Services and ADO.NET Entity Framework, which raise the level of abstraction for database programming and supply both a new model-based paradigm and a rich, standards-based framework for creating data-oriented Web services. With this service pack, Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 also support SQL Server 2008, making the Microsoft platform the most comprehensive environment for database application development.
"Using the Entity Framework has significantly sped up our development cycle by removing a lot of the custom code we have to write," said David Copple, lead developer, The Test Factory. "The Entity Framework took away the tedium of having to write standard data access code and business objects, which gave our team a big productivity boost."
The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 also improves developer productivity by simplifying the requirements for creating, implementing, changing and scaling applications via delivery of a single framework for service development that spans enterprise-critical applications and emerging rich, interactive applications. Enhancements to the representational state transfer (REST) services functionality within Windows Communication Foundation expand the range of choices for developers and provide a more flexible programming model for building services to support both Web 2.0 and service-oriented architecture (SOA) applications. ADO.NET Data Services leverages the new REST capabilities in Windows Communication Foundation, giving developers dramatic productivity gains when creating data-centric REST-based services.
Additional Improvements to Visual Studio 2008
Enhancements in Visual Studio 2008 SP1 build on the new functionality in the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, offering developers improved performance and reliability. Improvements include better-performing designers for building WPF applications, improved tools for developing AJAX applications, improved designers for working with the ADO.NET Entity Framework, a richer JavaScript development environment and a streamlined Web site deployment experience. Visual Studio 2008 SP1 also extends the developer-focused innovations in SQL Server 2008, making the development of occasionally connected applications and spatial applications easier and offering developers additional controls for incorporating business intelligence into applications.
More information and a download of Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=122094; more information and a download of .NET Framework 3.5 SP1is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=124150.
