14 DAY TRIAL // The software development kit for the Microsoft .NET Micro Framework is now available. The announcement was made at Embedded World 2007, today, February 13, 2007. The Microsoft .NET Micro Framework SDK is designed to integrate seamlessly with Visual Studio, but on devices with limited resources.
"The .NET Micro Framework was built from the ground up as a .NET solution for small embedded devices," said Colin Miller, director of the .NET Micro Framework at Microsoft. "It brings the reliability and efficiency of the .NET environment to a new set of applications such as home automation systems, industrial sensors, retail displays and healthcare monitors. Development on this platform works seamlessly with the same tools that are used throughout the Microsoft family of platforms."
With the .NET Micro Framework, Microsoft aims to blur the line between embedded application and generic application development, while still permitting developers to take advantage of the development and debugging delivered by Visual studio. Via the .NET Micro Framework developers will be able to leverage the C# language in concert with Visual Studio. Moreover, .NET Micro Framework SDK also delivers hardware emulation and graphical debugging for real hardware.
"The .NET Micro Framework is a proven platform that opens up a new area of embedded development and adds to the momentum of Microsoft embedded technologies," said Pieter Knook, senior vice president of the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft.
At the time of this article, the download link for the SDK was not functional, but I will deliver an update as soon as it becomes available.
Update:
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 FINAL was tested by Softpedia as being 100% Clean and is available for download here.