Since last years TechEd everyone has been hearing about .NET 3.0 and the cool features of LINQ, lambda expressions, and all of the other cool new language features. I don't know about you, but I was definitely looking forward to them. We were also hearing about WinFx and “Avalon“ and “Indigo“, InfoCard, Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF) and the other new technologies that looked like they would only be part of Vista.
Fast-forward a year to this years TechEd and we're still hearing about .NET 3.0, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), WWF, and CardSpace (InfoCard). Most of us by now understand that WPF is “Avalon“ and WCF is “Indigo“. However, the big change is that .NET 3.0 isn't what it used to be.
In an effort to reduce the confusion in the industry about WinFx, Microsoft is essentially retiring that terminology. The key thing to note is that it is the terminology that is being retired, not the technology. Apparently there was a lot of confusion and concern that Microsoft was abandoning .NET and moving to this new platform named WinFx. What people failed to realize is that WinFx is .NET and is essentially some additional runtimes that sit on top of the .NET runtime.
So, the bottom line is this:
.NET 3.0 == .NET 2.0 + WPF + WCF + WWF + CardSpace
To help sort all of this out, a new community site devoted to .NET 3.0 has been created. According to the site,
The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly WinFX), is the new managed code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with new technologies for building applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, and the ability to support a wide range of business processes.
Check out the new site at:
http://www.netfx3.com/