What's New in .NET Framework 3.5

The .NET Framework 3.5 introduced significant new features and improvements, building upon the foundation of previous versions. This release focused on enhancing developer productivity, enabling richer user experiences, and providing more robust data access capabilities.

Key Features and Technologies

Language Integrated Query (LINQ)

LINQ revolutionized data querying in .NET by integrating it directly into the C# and Visual Basic languages. It provides a consistent syntax for querying collections, databases, XML, and other data sources.

  • Uniform syntax for various data sources.
  • Compile-time query syntax checking.
  • Improved performance and readability.
Learn more about LINQ

New C# 3.0 and Visual Basic 9.0 Language Features

.NET Framework 3.5 shipped with major updates to C# and Visual Basic, including features that work seamlessly with LINQ.

  • Anonymous Types
  • Extension Methods
  • Lambda Expressions
  • Object and Collection Initializers
  • Implicitly Typed Local Variables (var keyword)
Explore C# 3.0 Features

ADO.NET Entity Framework

The Entity Framework provides an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) that enables developers to work with data as domain-specific objects, rather than raw database tables and columns.

  • Model-first, database-first, and code-first approaches.
  • Simplified data access and manipulation.
  • Reduced boilerplate code for data operations.
Discover Entity Framework

WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) Enhancements

WCF, the unified programming model for building service-oriented applications, received several updates to improve interoperability, performance, and ease of use.

  • Improved RESTful service support.
  • New interoperability features.
  • Performance optimizations.
WCF Updates

Parallel LINQ (PLINQ)

PLINQ extends LINQ to Objects to take advantage of multi-core processors by enabling queries to execute in parallel.

  • Automatic parallelization of LINQ queries.
  • Significant performance gains for CPU-bound operations.
  • Simple syntax for parallel execution.
Understanding PLINQ

Getting Started

To start developing with .NET Framework 3.5, you will need Visual Studio 2008 or later, and the .NET Framework 3.5 SDK.

Key resources to help you get started: