Real World Computing

.NET 3 represents a great new set of features that developers can use to create rich and secure distributed applications: WPF offers richer graphics, WCF provides reliable and secure networking, and WWF enables workflow to be baked into an application, while WCS provides individuals with more security on both internet and corporate intranets. Microsoft's decision to port .NET 3 to Windows XP SP 2 means you can start using .NET 3 before Vista ships, to build applications for your existing Windows XP-based system. While Vista will provide a better platform on which to run such applications, you can get most of the benefits of .NET 3 without needing to upgrade your OS, which makes a move to version 3 pretty much a no-brainer as a future development strategy. For more detailed information on .NET 3 and its constituent technologies, see the .NET Framework subsite at www.netfx3.com (note that this is a Microsoft site). If you have any comments on this column or suggestions for future columns, please email me at tfl@psp.co.uk