Chapter 3. .NET Framework and Language Enhancements in 2005

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Shared .NET Language Additions

• VB Language Enhancements

• C# Language Enhancements

• .NET Framework 2.0 Enhancements

The majority of this book focuses on unlocking the productivity promises of the Visual Studio IDE. However, we thought it important to also cover some of the recent advances in the .NET languages and the Framework. These items (the IDE, the languages, and the Framework) all ship from Microsoft in concert. Therefore, any discussion of the new IDE would be incomplete without some mention of the elements that have been bound to it.

This chapter covers the enhancements relative to both Visual Basic .NET and C#. In addition, it highlights some of the key advances made in the Framework. Our assumption is that a majority of readers have some base-level understanding of either VB or a C-based language prior to the current version, along with a decent grasp of the .NET Framework. Therefore, our approach should give you insight into those enhancements that make .NET 2.0 a big leap forward over prior versions.