Why is it that I have to upgrade to VS 2010 to build/run .NET4 projects? This seems somewhat ridiculous to me. Why should the run-time that my code runs against, or the compiler that the IDE invokes (hopefully) generically through MSBUILD rules have anything to do with the IDE I am using?
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117answers:
3
+4
A:
There's usually a way to get it working with older VS versions. I know I was compiling WCF projects (3.5) on VS2005 before we upgraded to VS2008. You just have to set up the references by hand (and possibly change the MSBuild project file), and of course you lose out on the actual IDE enhancements (I wouldn't want to have done WPF on VS2005...)
Stephen Cleary
2010-05-19 13:18:25
+4
A:
Maybe because .Net 4.0 was vaporware when VS2008 was released so support for it was never baked in?
Maybe because MS is a company that needs to sell products to make money, they can't sell new licences if they just update old versions of the product?
Maybe because old versions of the product (VS2008) would take too much retooling to natively support .Net 4.0?
These are just random thoughts that may or may not help you with your current issue, which seems more like a rant than an issue?
slugster
2010-05-19 13:19:20
heheh - you said 'tool'. That is it on the money - tooling.
Sky Sanders
2010-05-19 13:22:27
Are these questions or statements?
Chris S
2010-05-20 11:00:40
The question may be a bit of a rant, but this answer is pretty unhelpful and uninsightful in my opinion.
Coxy
2010-05-20 11:21:17
@coxymla - i wouldn't say it is *unhelpful*, how can anyone give an authoritive answer on this question? The most any of us can do is speculate. What i am pointing out is that the reasons are probably all based on business decisions, but as i don't work in the corporate or project management structure of MS i can only offer educated speculation from the viewpoint of an observer. To fully answer the OP's question would probably take half a book.
slugster
2010-05-20 11:29:39
A:
Microsoft are a business. They develop new products using money made from selling existing products.
Andy Johnson
2010-05-20 11:02:43