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can I use .net 3.5 binaries for a library with a .net 4.0 application / what are the negatives if any?

Answer 1

+3 A:

.NET 4.0 is compatible with .NET 3.5 and earlier, but as comments below indicate, best practice would be to recompile with .NET 4.0 when you can.

It is safe (and intended) that you can use assemblies targeting older versions of the framework.

John Weldon 2010-04-26 23:05:23

Better not use "on top of". It is hard to understand. I suggest we say on .NET 4 there is backward compatibilities. Besides, if you have the source code of the assemblies, better recompile them against 4 to get more benefits.

Lex Li 2010-04-27 00:59:09

@Lex Li-MSFT Are you saying that .NET 4.0 does not depend on .NET 2.0, and .NET 3.5 at all? That is not at all how I understand it.

John Weldon 2010-04-27 01:18:47

.NET 4.0 does not "build on top of previous versions". This is only the case for 3.5, 3.0 which are indeed additive releases "on top of" .net 2.0.

Wim Coenen 2010-04-27 01:22:30

I would also argue that .Net 4.0 is not compatible with 3.5. See this list of changes made throughout the framework: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee941656.aspx

Peter Lillevold 2010-04-27 06:52:17

Answer 2

+1 A:

No problems whatsoever. No expected ones anyway but I bet ya microsoft has one up their sleve, they tend to work in mysterious ways :)

Jonas B 2010-04-26 23:08:22

Answer 3

+1 A:

It should be fine but there are some issues that can arise but might now be fixed in the release version. See:

http://krishnabhargav.blogspot.com/2010/02/using-net-35-clr-20-dll-inside-visual.html

Kelsey 2010-04-26 23:08:56

Answer 4

A:

Read Microsoft's advice about .NET 4.0 compatibility in this article: Version Compatibility in the .NET Framework.

Wim Coenen 2010-04-27 01:28:46

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can I use .net 3.5 binaries for a library with a .net 4.0 application / what are the negatives if any?

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