VS 2.0 Beta 2

[Ne]

Is out today. Will your stuff work with Beta 2 ?

[Administrator]

Hi Ken,

the 3.2 release will ship with pre-built assemblies for Beta 2 and you will be able to use Essential Studio with Beta 2.

There are minor limitations for now, e.g. in the AssemblyManager the 2.0 Framework option is greyed out for installing Toolbox Items. But you can manually add entries within the VS IDE using the Customize Toolbox dialog.

After the 3.2 release we will start testing the libraries against the Beta 2 bits and release a patch to fix any issues that come up and also make AssemblyManager fully aware of 2.0 framework.

Stefan

>Is out today. Will your stuff work with Beta 2 ?

[Administrator]

Thats fantastic. I''m downloading Beta 2 now, and I will be testing and reporting any 3.2 (final) issues I come across.

[Administrator]

Stefan:

I read microsoft''s GoLive policy here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vs2005/golive/

I have two questions regarding VS2005 B2 and Syncfusion. I estimate it will be many (6+) months before our product is released, so I''d like some more information so I can make better decisions. I downloaded and installed 3.2 final, and I have been experimenting with it with my project using VS 2005 B2. I am very impressed... with all 3 :)

First, what is the release policy for Syncfusion customers who want to release software using Syncfusion''s .NET 2.0 assemblies? Is this currently allowed? Or should customers wait until the final VS 2005 release, and then wait for Syncfusion''s final .NET 2.0 release. Essentially Question #1 is: at what point are customers allowed to release software using the .NET 2.0 assemblies? According to the MS link,

"Customers may not distribute the .NET Framework 2.0 Beta 2 with their applications (for example: end users of an ISV application based on the Beta 2 must obtain the .NET Framework Beta 2 from Microsoft, and sign the Go-Live license)"

Second, I am interested in the plans Syncfusion has for VS 2005. If you are unable to disclose information, I understand. It can''t hurt for me to ask. As I currently understand the situation, Syncfusion will fix reported VS 2005 B2 incidents and patch as neccessary. Then, when the final VS 2005 release comes out, Syncfusion will utilize their resources to make a final stable .NET 2.0 release. Please clarify if my understanding is incorrect, and please give any extra information if possible or neccessary.

Thanks (from a happy and satisfied Syncfusion customer).

[Administrator]

Hi Kevin,

you can release the Syncfusion assemblies without problem, but you should expect a couple of glitches down the road with using Syncfusion assemblies for Whidbey. It''s a beta.

From a Syncfusion point of view there is no problem with redistributing our DLLs. But you have to make sure you follow the Microsoft policy for redistribution.

Six month time frame should be long enough. I am pretty confident that by that time Whidbey will have been released.

Syncfusion is fully committed to support Whidbey. Now with Whidbey Beta 2 being some of our developers will start doing development with Whidbey. That should help us be aware of any issues. All our libraries ship in 3 different versions, one version for each framework. This allows us to conditionally take full advantage of features in Whidbey while still being able to fully support .NET 1.0 and 1.1

Stefan

[Administrator]

Stefan,

I appreciate the feedback. I understand the situation with the assemblies and Whidbey B2 and glitches. I would never expect 0 bugs with a beta product, so I am prepared for issues that will come up.

However, after a week of testing I am pleasantly surprised that so far my diagnostic apps have been running flawlessly using the Syncfusion 2.0 assemblies. Tools, Grids, Diagrams, Charts, all have been running great.

I have decided to move ahead with developing my application with Whidbey B2 and the Syncfusion .NET 2.0 assemblies. This way my application is built from the ground up using .NET 2.0, and I can work out issues as I go instead of all at the same time if I were to convert to 2.0 in the future.

I don''t know how many other Syncfusion customers plan on using B2, but if Syncfusion ever starts a beta testing program for .NET 2.0, I would be more than happy to help out.

Thanks,

Kevin