New features are being added to ASP.NET and ADO.NET this year that increase the power of the .NET Framework 3.5. These enhancements target:
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Enabling high productivity data scenarios by using the .NET Entity Framework, ADO.NET Data Services, ASP.NET MVC, and ASP.NET Dynamic Data.
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Supporting test-driven development by using a powerful and extensible ASP.NET MVC framework.
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Creating the best server for rich clients by using AJAX history support and ASP.NET controls for Silverlight.
ASP.NET controls for Silverlight
You can integrate the rich behavior of Microsoft Silverlight into your Web application by using the familiar model of ASP.NET server controls. The MediaPlayer server control lets you integrate media sources such as audio (WMA) and video (WMV) and take advantage of rich built-in media player skins. The Silverlight server control lets you add your own Silverlight XAML content to ASP.NET pages, using a custom JavaScript type of a Silverlight 2 managed-code XAP package.
ASP.NET MVC
ASP.NET MVC provides a framework that enables you to easily implement the model-view-controller (MVC) pattern for Web applications. This pattern lets you separate applications into loosely coupled, pluggable components for application design, processing logic, and display. ASP.NET MVC also greatly facilitates test-driven development (TDD).
ASP.NET Dynamic Data
ASP.NET Dynamic Data helps developers build a fully customizable, data-driven app quickly. It provides a rich scaffolding framework that allows rapid data driven development without writing code, yet it is easily extendible using the traditional ASP.NET programming model.
ADO.NET Entity Framework
ADO.NET Entity Framework is a new modeling framework that enables developers to define a conceptual model of a database schema that closely aligns to a real world view of the information. Benefits include easier to understand and easier to maintain application code that is shielded from underlying database schema changes.
ADO.NET Data Services
ADO.NET Data Services provide new services that find, manipulate and deliver data over the web using simple URIs. Benefits include an easy and flexible way to access data over the web, while enabling the separation of presentation and data access code.
ASP.NET AJAX
New additions to ASP.NET AJAX include support for managing browser history (Back button support).
Sounds interesting... So, how can I start playing with it?
Download the Silverlight Tools Beta 1 for Visual Studio 2008 that includes the new ASP.NET MediaPlayer and Silverlight server controls.
Download the ASP.NET MVC Preview 2 release that contains the latest version of the ASP.NET MVC framework and related Visual Studio tools support.
Download the ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview (December 2007) release that includes the ADO.NET Entity Framework runtime, ADO.NET Data Services, ASP.NET Dynamic Data, and new additions to ASP.NET AJAX.
Note: The ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview (December 2007) also contains older versions of the ASP.NET controls for Silverlight and the ASP.NET MVC framework and tools support. While MS recommend that you uninstall the previous releases before using the new ASP.NET MVC Preview 2 release for Visual Studio 2008, it is not dangerous to have both the Extensions Preview and the Preview 2 versions of the MVC installed. Make sure to use the new Web application project templates to create new ASP.NET MVC Web applications instead of using the Web application project templates that the previous released installed.
Uhmm... Download... done! but... where can I find information about how to use it?
Ok... don't panic... there are at least three good sources of information that I know so far
Quickstarts to learn more about the new features being added to ASP.NET and ADO.NET
Videos that cover the new features being added to ASP.NET and ADO.NET
.NET Framework 3.5 Enhancements Training Kit containing Labs, Demos and PPTs
Finally, where can I ask questions and discuss?
ASP.NET controls for Silverlight Forum. Question and discussions related to new ASP.NET controls for Silverlight.
ASP.NET MVC Forum. Question and discussions related to ASP.NET MVC.
ASP.NET MVC Dynamic Data Forum. Question and discussions related to ASP.NET Dynamic Data.
ADO.NET Entity Framework Forum. Question and discussions related to ADO.NET Entity Framework.
ADO.NET Data Services Forum. Question and discussions related to ADO.NET Data Services.
ASP.NET AJAX UI Forum. Question and discussions related to ASP.NET AJAX
ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions Preview Forum. Setup issues and general questions regarding the ASP.NET Extensions Preview (December 2007) release.
Regards,
Carlos Figueroa - Quito, Ecuador