14 DAY TRIAL // The final flavor of Microsoft’s .NET Framework 4.5 is now available for download, following the availability of the Release Candidate flavor back in early June this year.
For those out of the loop, we should note that the Redmond-based software giant released .NET Framework 4.5 as a highly compatible, in-place update to the .NET Framework 4.
It can be used for the building of Windows applications, provided that it is paired with the C#, Visual Basic, or F# programming languages.
In fact, Microsoft also notes that the .NET Framework 4.5 comes with significant language and framework enhancements for C#, Visual Basic, and F#.
All these improvements are meant to enable developers to write asynchronous code easier than before. They are complemented by blending of control flow in synchronous code, a more responsive UI, and web app scalability.
“The .NET Framework 4.5 adds substantial improvements to other functional areas such as ASP.NET, Managed Extensibility Framework, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, and Windows Identity Foundation,” Microsoft notes.
Some other updated features in the new release include Portable Class Library project in Visual Studio 2012, a Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF), Resource File Generator, and new features and improvements for parallel computing.
It also comes with various core new features and improvements, as well as with new ASP.NET 4.5 features, a new programming interface for HTTP applications, and various changes and enhancements in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF).
Additionally, the software company notes that the new release comes with improvements to performance, reliability and security.
.NET Framework 4.5 also provides developers with the possibility to build apps for Windows 8 as well, to have them available for download through the Windows Store that accompanies the platform.
For more info on the improvements included in .NET Framework 4.5, you should access this page on Microsoft’s MSDN website. For specific details on the issues that the new release still features, and on workarounds available for them, head over to this web page.
Download Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 Final