Developers leveraging Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 are in for a treat in terms of the tools available for building what Microsoft referred to as client, web and data-driven applications. This because the Redmond giant just released to the Microsoft Download Center the Service Pack 1 for .NET Framework 3.5 and also for Visual Studio 2008. Even though Microsoft officially announced only the releasing to manufacturing of the two service packs, the gold builds of Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and .NET Framework 3.5 are available for download.

"These releases come just nine months after the release of the .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008, and include a substantial number of updates based directly on customer feedback. The service packs continue to address the needs of the developer community by making it even easier to develop applications for the latest platforms, with new features such as the .NET Framework Client Profile for faster deployment of Windows-based applications, multiple enhancements to ASP.NET, and unparalleled support for database application development through the ADO.NET Entity Framework, ADO.NET Data Services and integration with SQL Server 2008," Microsoft stated.

According to the Redmond company, the evolution of Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is intimately connected with that of .NET Framework SP1. In this context, the focus was on boosting performance and reliability. Visual Studio 2008 will bring to the table a simpler, streamlined process of deploying websites, evolved JavaScript development resources, but also increased performance when it comes down to building Windows Presentation Foundation programs. The same is valid for creating AJAX applications, while the ADO.NET Entity Framework designers also got improvements.

"The beauty of the .NET Framework has always been that it makes it easier for developers to build applications that are visually stunning, well connected and highly secure," revealed Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Division at Microsoft.

In addition to the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 being tailored to SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 SP1 was also adapted to the recent release of Microsoft's SQL Server. "We want to make sure we are keeping the end-user experience in mind as well, which is why we created the .NET Framework Client Profile. The .NET Framework Client Profile significantly speeds up the installation of Windows and enables a much more consumer-friendly experience. This is a huge step forward for the more than 4 million .NET developers worldwide," Guthrie added.

Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 is available for download here.
Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition with SP1 can be grabbed here.
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package SP 1 can be downloaded from here.
Visual Studio 2008 Shell (isolated and integrated mode) with Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package is here.
Visual Studio 2008 Profiler Service Pack 1 is here.