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1. I know they're twins, but they have such different
personalities!

2. Talk about a headache

3. Each .NET Release brings one more ADDITIONAL version to
install. This means that when you want to run a program
that uses .NET 3.5 and you already have .NET 2.0, the
process of installing .NET 3.5 will NOT replace .NET 2.0 and
you will now have two different versions of .NET on the
same computer.

4. To be precise, Instead of upgrading them like most normal
software, you have to keep multiple versions installed at
one time depending on the applications you plan on using.

5. As a developer, manager or user this can be a pain to keep
track of and can be quite confusing.

6. Summary

7. Each .NET release brings with it major functionality. After
this article, you will understand why they exist
concurrently rather than being upgrades, and you will
understand some of the major functionality that each
version brings with it.

8. Explanation

9. Basically what's happening, is that each new version of
.NET is like a whole new product. It's like a whole new
Program rather than an upgrade to an existing program.
The reason this is done is so that new releases of .NET do
not BREAK programs that rely on an old version.

10. The difference between .NET and many other programs is
that other applications RELY on .NET and changes to .NET
will affect the stability of your computer. If instead you
were to somehow upgrading .NET in-place, it would be the
equivalent of trying to upgrade your operating system
without re-installing your programs. While anything is
possible, most computer technicians will tell you to steer
clear.

11. As for what's in the different versions, .NET 2.0 was a
major milestone release including many really important
features. Included were many API changes, Language
capabilities such as Generics, and Full 64bit compatibility.

12. When .NET 3.5 arrived, it offered some extremely sought
after components such as Windows Presentation
Foundation and Windows Workflow. These two
subsystems alone provided substantial benefit to .NET
developers and companies using them alike.

13. With version 4.0 for instance, Microsoft focused on
concurrent programming which is a bane for most
developers. They released an extension to the LINQ
"query language" to allow for more parallel computations
to be performed in searching.

14. It Took Forethought

15. Microsoft spent a lot of time developing each version of
.NET. Their product is extremely well organized and the
way it was released also shows substantially good
planning.

16. Because of their forethought in planning .NET, if you install
.NET Version 3.5 or 4.0 it will not break any existing .NET
2.0 applications. Yet they are still able to release
functionality that is not compatible with 2.0 by simply
making the new versions work like a totally separate
product.

17. This is extremely important, because many companies rely
on these programs for the show to go on.

18. Wrapping it up

19. .NET Versions are released not as upgrades, but as
completely separate products. This is done to allow the
old versions to keep working after the new version is
released.

20. Versions 2.0, 3.5 and 4.0 all brought significant
functionality to the table.

21. Microsoft planned effectively to allow this seamless
transition from version to version, which allows us all to
sleep better at night.

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