can anyone explain what this is? and why my computer has three sets of this. wondering if i just need the most updated version of it. couldnt find a good explanation of what it does

11/11/2009 11:00:02 PM

is this legit? the most recent version is fine

11/11/2009 11:04:37 PM

perhaps a better question is how your computer got 3 versions of it installed without you knowing what it was.

11/11/2009 11:12:52 PM

Yes, there are actually 4 separate and incompatible versions of the .NET framework. They are 1.1, 2.0, 3.5, and 4.0. For a .NET application to run it must have the proper framework installed.

You probably installed several applications built on different versions of the .NET framework.

11/12/2009 1:30:46 AM

they aren't incompatible... if you have 4, your 4 and below apps will run.

11/12/2009 10:22:16 AM

4.0 isn't actually out yet either. And there's a 3.0 in addition to the other versions. and like ^ said, incompatible is not quite right. It's the typical case that multiple versions are installed. If an old app needs to go against an older framework, it will target it automatically. Not to mention 3.0 and 3.5 are both built on the 2.0 CLR runtime

11/12/2009 10:39:43 AM

2.0 is not entirely backwards compatible with 1.1. After doing some online searching it appears that 3.0 and 3.5 add on to 2.0, so 3.0 requires 2.0 to be installed and 3.5 requires both 2.0 and 3.0 to be installed.

That's all too complicated. I always target 2.0.

11/13/2009 2:43:55 AM

Quote :

"perhaps a better question is how your computer got 3 versions of it installed without you knowing what it was."

I believe it's automatically built into Windows 7. At least I don't remember installing it manually, and it's certainly there. I don't remember if that was the case for Vista.

Some programs require it, like the ATI Catalyst Control Center. Some games require it and will install it as a part of their installation.

^And it gets even funner when you're trying to apply service packs or install additional versions and you're blocked from doing so. In some cases you don't need the SP but Windows Update won't leave you alone. In other cases the only recourse you have is to uninstall one version, install or patch another version, then reinstall the one you uninstalled.

Oh, and the obligatory:


[Edited on November 13, 2009 at 9:12 AM. Reason : -]

11/13/2009 9:12:11 AM

Apparently no one remembers the days of individual dll's.

I agree it's ridiculous though the way that the frameworks are installed/tracked. It should just be shown as "Microsoft .NET Framework" and the versions should be kept up with internal to the framework, not forced on the user.

11/13/2009 1:37:36 PM