VS2008 SP1 Beta and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Beta is now available

  • Article

We will be releasing the beta of Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and the .NET Framework SP1. Each of these releases contains a significant amount of new functionality and bug fixes for developers which will further enhance their experiences with our products.  However, this bulletin is focused on new functionality specifically in .NET Framework SP1 and Visual Studio SP1 for Client development. 

The .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 Beta delivers more controls, a streamlined setup, improved start-up performance, and powerful new graphics features for WPF development. This release includes numerous bug fixes and the following feature areas:

· New and improved graphics capabilities for both 2D and 3D

· New controls and extensibility

· Performance improvements for startup and runtime, as well as streamlined setup

· Interop with HTML (DOM) as well as DirectX

As part of the streamlined setup we are introducing a new .NET Framework 3.5 Client Profile which is a perfect subset of the .NET Framework 3.5 targeted exclusively at client applications and clients scenarios. The Client Profile will work with ClickOnce application deployments.

The beta is intended as a mechanism to allow early testing and feedback. As a beta release, it is recommended that you only install the service pack on test machines (VPCs would be great for that purpose).  Note that there are a few known incompatibilities with this service pack including: Expression Blend, the Silverlight 2 Beta 1 SDK, and the Microsoft Silverlight Tools Beta 1 for Visual Studio 2008. A new version of Expression Blend 2.5 March Preview has been released here that is compatible with this service pack.  These issues will be resolved for the final release, but it is important that you start testing your apps for compatibility and provide feedback to us.

Here's how you provide feedback to us: