GetSystemVersion no longer returns ImageRuntimeVersion

RuntimeEnvironment.GetSystemVersion() no longer returns Assembly.ImageRuntimeVersion, which is a .NET Framework-oriented value. It's been updated to return a more relevant value, however, the historical leading v has been maintained.

Previous behavior

RuntimeEnvironment.GetSystemVersion() returned Assembly.ImageRuntimeVersion, which is an indicator of .NET Framework in-place replacement, not a product release.

Example: v4.0.30319

New behavior

Starting in .NET 8, RuntimeEnvironment.GetSystemVersion() returns "v" concatenated with Environment.Version, which is the version of the CLR.

Example: v8.0.0

Version introduced

.NET 8 RC 1

Type of breaking change

This change is a behavioral change.

Reason for change

The existing version wasn't useful or meaningful for .NET.

Recommended action

Update your code to expect the new version, or use typeof(object).Assembly.ImageRuntimeVersion instead.

Affected APIs

• System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeEnvironment.GetSystemVersion()

See also

The following changes are related:

• Improved .NET Core version APIs
• FrameworkDescription's value is .NET instead of .NET Core