14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is currently cooking a new version of the Windows software development kit designed to allow developers to target the latest Windows operating systems, but also to leverage the most recent advances in terms of the company’s development platform and tools. Version 7.1 of the Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 4 is the successor of the plain vanilla Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, which was released alongside Windows 7 in October 2009.
The promise from Microsoft is that Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 4 v7.1 will be released soon after the general availability of Visual Studio 2010, which is scheduled for today, April 12. Of course, as the label implies, the new iteration of the SDK will enable developers to build applications targeting .NET Framework 4, which will be released together with Visual Studio 2010. According to Karin Meier, program manager Windows C++ Team Windows SDK, version 7.1 of the SDK introduces a number of enhancements.
Meier says that the SDK is now “smaller/faster: at less than 600MB, this SDK is one third the size of the Windows 7 RTM SDK; it installs faster and has a smaller footprint. Cleaner setup: features on setup screens have been grouped into native, managed, and common buckets to help you choose the components you need faster. New Microsoft Help System v1.0: this brand new system was first introduced with Visual Studio 10. You can import just the content you need from the MSDN cloud, and update it according to your schedule. VC++ 2010 RTM compilers/CRT with improved compilation performance and speed. These are the same compilers and toolset that ships with Visual Studio 2010.”
Version 7.1 of the Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 4 can be used to build apps for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 targeting .NET 4 even without Visual Studio 2010, namely with either older versions of VS or with other build environments. At the same time, apps built with the SDK can still target .NET Framework versions 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5.
“Win SDK v7.1 will be available through an ISO or a Web setup download and install experience. Web setup allows you to install selected components of the SDK without having to download the entire SDK. The DVD ISO setup allows you to download the entire SDK to install later, or share among different computers,” Meier adds
The RTM version of Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be downloaded from Softpedia as well, via this link. The Windows 7 Training Kit for Developers is also available for download on our site, via this link.