Component Framework Compatibility

Question

We create and distribute a .NET component for software developers.

If we create the component with the .NET Framework 2.0 in VS 2005, can it be used with VS 2003 (.NET Framework 1.1)?

Or is it adviseable to build it with VS 2003 and can this component then be used with VS 2005? Must the end-user then install .NET Framework 1.1?

Or is the best solution to ship the component in two flavors, one built with VS 2003 and one built with VS 2005?

Regards
Thorsten Radde
www.IdealSoftware.com

Answer 1

Hi,

 

If you create a component in the .NET Framework 2.0 and it only uses functionality that existed in the .NET Framework 1.1, then there is a good chance it will work on a system with only the .NET Framework 1.1 installed.  However, there are some breaking changes between version 1.1 and version 2.0 (notably for security issues but also for other reasons) that may cause this to not be the case.

 

If you want to support a scenario where only the .NET Framework 1.1 is installed on a system, the most reliable way is to create that component in VS 2003 and test it on a system that only has the .NET Framework 1.1 installed.  However, with some additional testing, you might be able to support building the component only in VS 2005 depending on what functionality in the .NET Framework your component uses.

 

Thanks!  Aaron

 

Answer 2

We only distribute the DLL of our component, not the source code. Does this have any impact on your reply?

Regards
Thorsten Radde