C# Minimum .NET Framework requirement for your apps?

Aura

Aura

Sysnative Staff, Security Analyst
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Alright so I'm considering getting back into C# a bit to developp a few tools I would use to make my life easier. Also, these tools could be used by other users and I was wondering, what is the minimum .NET Framework I should set my apps at? I was thinking .NET Framework 3.5 since starting on Windows 7, all the Windows version have it as a minimum (but it needs to be enabled), however I thought that since we are at 4.5.2 and close 4.6, I might lose some interesting features, so maybe I should set it at 4. Since I know that we have quite a few C# developpers here, I thought I would ask :)
 
Depends where you'll be running your apps and who will run them.

I develop with 4.5, and if you drop all the way back to 3.5 you will lose out on some very nice features. If you're just developing to run on your own system, then 4/4.5 is fine. If you need to redistribute it and run it on various different machines, try to use the lowest version you can get away with without sacrificing too much. You may need to refactor some code to do that though.

Others may have a differing opinion
 
I intend to create small applications I would make users run on their system. I barely offer support for Windows XP and Windows Vista anymore, so I don't have to worry about going lower than 3.5. Ideally, I would aim for 4 since mostly everyone starting on Windows 7 and above will have it, if not 4.5. I could make two versions, but it would be an hassle to maintain both :P
 
Yeah, I've right at the extreme end of the scale tending to support .net 2.0 and VC++ 2005. The cutoff for me is Windows XP - I want my apps to run on Windows Vista and above without needing anything extra. Vista lovers unite ;)
 
Vista
Click to expand...

Stopped reading there :D Jokes aside, if I ever need someone to run one of my future apps and he's under XP or Vista, I'll just put together a quick batch script and that'll do the job :P
 
If these are small applications chances are you're not going to be using a lot of the new libraries and features provided within the newer .NET frameworks so 3.5 is perfectly fine. 4.0 is released through Windows updates so I would assume that most people have at least 4.0 by now. As I said, if these are small programs, you're not going to be missing out on much. Either way, you can deploy an application so that it will download the proper framework and other requirements for them automatically as well if you choose to go that way.

Personally, I wouldn't develop for anything below Windows 7 anymore.
 
I develop in 4.5, primarily so I can use the ZipFile class. My tools are used by <10 people though, all of whom are bound to have 4.5 installed, so it isn't much of a concern for me.
 
For one of my apps then I'll have to use the 4.5 Framework then since it'll use that class :P
 
For some other apps I might not have to use that feature so then with these I can go to a lower level like 4 :P
 
Yeah I know :P Oh well, I just need a good kick in the butt to get into it now haha!
 

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