Visual Studio 2008 is here. So is .NET 3.5, the new major version of the .NET framework. In the two years that have passed since Visual Studio 2005 and .NET 2.0, Microsoft has been busy adding features to the new IDE and Framework. And as with previous .NET releases, Telerik has prepared industry leading UI components that leverage the latest from Microsoft so that you can begin building tomorrow’s solutions today.
Ajax in the Core
One of the major changes in .NET 3.5 is the integration of ASP.NET AJAX in to the core of the .NET Framework. No longer relegated to a separate install, ASP.NET AJAX has officially become synonymous with ASP.NET in .NET 3.5.
Anticipating this transition, Telerik has been hard at work over the past year migrating all of its ASP.NET controls to run directly on top of ASP.NET AJAX. The RadControls for ASP.NET codenamed “Prometheus” are the fruit of this effort and the impact for developers is amazing.
RadControls running directly on ASP.NET AJAX are delivering previously unattainable performance and features. RadEditor, the award winning WYSIWYG rich-text editor for the web, is up to four times faster running on ASP.NET AJAX, and Telerik’s suite of navigational controls for the web is delivering powerful new features like binding to webservices on the client. Meanwhile, new controls like RadScheduler, a complete Outlook®-like scheduling tool for the web, are being made possible thanks to the improvements in the new ASP.NET AJAX-based control suite.
Ajax is now at the core of .NET and at the core Telerik’s RadControls for ASP.NET.
IDE: Improved Development Environment
Some of the most exciting changes for developers this year can be found in the new and improved Visual Studio 2008. One of the changes you’re likely to notice right away is the new web designer surface. Borrowed from Microsoft’s new Expression Web product, the new designer allows developers to preview changes to their pages in a whole new way via the new Split View. As changes are made to code, developers can see near-real-time previews in the WYSIWYG split designer window.
Taking advantage of this new capability, developers using Telerik’s RadControls will be able to control the appearance and configuration of their controls more quickly than ever. With much improved CSS integration in VS 2008 and the Split View designer, developers can easily change control properties and skins and instantly preview the results in the designer.
Another improvement in Visual Studio 2008 is the ability to build applications that target different versions of the .NET framework. That means you can begin leveraging the improved IDE today even if you plan on continuing to build .NET 2.0 applications. No matter which version of the framework you decide to use for your development, VS 2008 and Telerik’s RadControls have the tools and support you need to complete your project.
LINQ has Arrived
Visual Studio 2008 includes a new O/RM tool built on LINQ called LinqToSql. This tool allows developers to visually map their database tables to .NET classes and then use LINQ to declaratively query the data. The new LinqDataSource control builds on this model by making it easy to declaratively bind data controls to LinqToSql data contexts. All of Telerik’s data driven controls offer full support for this new data source control and work seamlessly with LINQ.
Building for the Future
With the release of VS 2008 and .NET 3.5, Telerik has once again demonstrated its dedication to delivering tools for the latest Microsoft tools and frameworks as they’re released. Over the next year Telerik will continue to deliver solutions for new Microsoft platforms- like Silverlight 2.0 and WPF- and build upon its award winning portfolio of WinForms, ASP.NET, and Reporting components. No matter the project, you can depend on Telerik to provide the UI components you need and support for the latest tools from Microsoft.
For more information on the RadControls and Visual Studio 2008, visit:
www.telerik.com
