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Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 released!

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Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is not a traditional service pack, which usually consists of bug fixes and performance improvements.  While Microsoft did fix some bugs and dramatically improved performance in several areas (cold start up times for WPF applications were dramatically reduced, etc.), Microsoft listened to customer feedback and decided to introduce several of the most-requested new features into the .NET Framework via a service pack.  Furthermore, with SP1, Microsoft brought Visual Studio 2008 into alignment with the new features in both the .NET Framework and in SQL Server 2008.

The three key messages are:

1. SP1 advances the art of application development

The new ADO.NET Entity Framework feature in SP1 offers developers a model-based paradigm and a rich, standards-based framework for creating data-oriented applications shared across multiple applications and platforms. The separation of presentation, data, and business logic used in concert with a single data model will enable developers to spend less time writing plumbing code and more time refining business logic.

2. SP1 makes data-driven programming easier

SP1 offers developers support for ASP.NET Dynamic Data, which provides a rich scaffolding framework that enables rapid data-driven development. Since ASP.NET takes care of creating the presentation layer, a fully functional Website is output and ready for customization without the developer writing a single line of code. Further, with ADO.NET Data Services, Web developers can create RESTful Web 2.0-style applications that have better server scalability and improved caching support.

3. SP1 is the fastest and easiest way to deploy Windows applications

With the .NET Framework Client Profile, a small subset of the Framework that powers client applications, developers can offer their end users a dramatically streamlined and rapid application download experience. In addition, improvements in SP1 result in dramatic reductions in cold start times, allowing developers to serve a broader set of customers with varying hardware profiles.