Microsoft Unveils .NET 10 Release Candidate 1: A Major Milestone in Software Development
In a significant move, Microsoft has announced the availability of the first release candidate for .NET 10, marking a crucial step towards the final release of this highly anticipated software development framework. This milestone allows developers to confidently use the latest version in their production applications, thanks to the included go-live support license.
Key Highlights and Improvements
The .NET 10 Release Candidate 1 boasts several notable features and improvements across various domains:
Libraries
- Cryptography Enhancements: The introduction of ML-DSA External Mu and Post Quantum Cryptography "API Complete" ensures enhanced security for sensitive data.
- UTF-8 Support: The ability to convert hex-string conversions using UTF-8 encoding provides developers with greater flexibility when working with strings.
- Tensor and Span Improvements: The new features like Tensor, TensorSpan, and ReadOnlyTensorSpan make it easier and faster to work with
Runtime
While this release candidate focuses on quality improvements rather than introducing new Runtime features, it ensures a stable foundation for developers to build upon.
SDK
Similar to the Runtime, the .NET 10 Release Candidate 1 prioritizes quality enhancements over new SDK features. This guarantees that developers have access to a reliable and efficient development environment.
Language Improvements
- C#: The release candidate emphasizes quality improvements rather than introducing new C# features.
- F#: Focusing on quality enhancements, this release does not include any new F# features.
- Visual Basic: Quality improvements are the primary focus of this release candidate, with no new Visual Basic features introduced.
ASP.NET Core & Blazor
The .NET 10 Release Candidate 1 brings several key updates to ASP.NET Core and Blazor:
- Persistent Component State Support: Enhanced navigation capabilities are now available for improved user experiences.
- New ASP.NET Core Identity Metrics: Developers can access more detailed metrics for their identity management systems.
- Validation Improvements: Minimal APIs and Blazor benefit from enhanced validation features, ensuring more robust applications.
- OpenAPI Schema Generation Improvements: This release optimizes OpenAPI schema generation for better API documentation.
.NET MAUI
.NET MAUI receives several important updates:
- Diagnostics and Metrics Tracking: Developers can now monitor application performance and diagnose issues with ease.
- HybridWebView Events: Improved event handling enables more seamless interactions between webviews and native code.
- RefreshView IsRefreshEnabled Property: This release introduces a new property for refreshing views, enhancing user experiences.
Windows Forms
The .NET 10 Release Candidate 1 brings significant improvements to Windows Forms:
- Dark Mode Now Fully Integrated: Applications can now seamlessly switch between light and dark modes.
- ControlStyles ApplyThemingImplicitlyUsage Clarification: Developers benefit from a clearer understanding of how themes are applied implicitly.
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)
This release candidate focuses on quality improvements for WPF, ensuring a stable development environment without introducing new features.
Entity Framework Core
Entity Framework Core receives several notable updates:
- SQL Server Vector Search: Developers can now leverage vector search capabilities in SQL Server.
- SQL Server JSON Type Support: Improved support for JSON types enhances data processing and storage.
- Cosmos Full-Text and Hybrid Search: This release enables full-text and hybrid search capabilities for Cosmos databases.
- Complex Types: Enhanced support for complex types allows developers to work with more intricate data structures.
- Padding for Parameterized Collections: This update optimizes the handling of parameterized collections.
Container Images
The .NET 10 Release Candidate 1 prioritizes quality improvements over new container features, ensuring a reliable development environment.
Announcing .NET 10 Release Candidate 1
.NET 10 Release Candidate 1 is available with improvements across the runtime, SDK, libraries, ASP.NET Core, Blazor, .NET MAUI, and more!
