Microsoft Ships .NET 5.0

Microsoft announced today that it is releasing .NET 5.0—alongside C# 9 and F# 5—as an upgrade to .NET Core 3.x.

“.NET 5.0 is the first release in our .NET unification journey,” Microsoft’s Richard Lander explains. “We built .NET 5.0 to enable a much larger group of developers to migrate their .NET Framework code and apps to .NET 5.0. We’ve also done much of the early work in 5.0 so that Xamarin developers can use the unified .NET platform when we release .NET 6.0.”

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Microsoft says that it’s already using .NET 5.0 in production and has seen major performance improvements over previous versions, which were branded as .NET Core. And having been first announced in May 2019, this day has been a long time in the making: With .NET 5.0, Microsoft begins fulfilling its vision of combining the legacy .NET Framework with the open-source .NET Core into a single platform that replaces both.

Microsoft expects to support.NET 5.0 through mid-February 2022, two months after .NET 6.0 is release. .NET 6.0, meanwhile, will be an LTS (long-term servicing) release and will be supported for three years, as was .NET Core 3.1. That said, .NET 5.0 isn’t as complete as Microsoft originally intended, and some pieces will need for .NET 6.0 before they’ll fully be transitioned.

You can learn more about .NET 5.0 from the .NET website.

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Conversation 19 comments

  • André Kittler

    10 November, 2020 - 2:28 pm

    <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">“.NET 5.0 is the first release in our .NET unification journey,”&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Please define unification. As an end user now I have to install .net 35, 4.x AND 5.0, or can I live without one of those?</span></p>

    • thejoefin

      Premium Member
      10 November, 2020 - 2:35 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#591988">In reply to Andre_Kittler:</a></em></blockquote><p>Developers can bundle .NET with their applications, the fact that they require you to download the framework outside the application was their decision and isn't Microsoft's fault. </p><p><br></p><p>Unification means .NET5 can be used for cloud, mobile, desktop, and console applications. Previously there was .NET Core for console, web and cross-plat, .Net Framework for desktop, and Mono for mobile, web, and cross-plat. Now it is all .NET5 (hence the usage of unified)</p>

      • rmac

        10 November, 2020 - 4:35 pm

        <p><a href="#591992"><em>In reply to TheJoeFin:</em></a><em> the bottom line is MS lost site of what .NET was supposed to be all about, which was unification of the data and business layers for web and Windows development from the start (including console). Sure other silos came along (but cloud is akin web and mobile never was), but MS got side tracked with all sorts of open source stuff and Linux, and importantly not sticking to the simplicity that .NET promised and not 'building out' from Windows. </em></p><p><br></p><p><em>What I'd really like to see is MS supporting multiple UI frameworks – but there's precisely no commitment there at all and total reliance on 3rd party control vendors, and that's what really scares me because I know from 1st hand they're struggling. It'll be interesting to see if MS respond to the .NET 6.0 GitHub request to support SVG. Meanwhile Flutter rumbles on…</em></p>

        • thejoefin

          Premium Member
          10 November, 2020 - 4:59 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#592026">In reply to rmac:</a></em></blockquote><p>.NET 5 supports WinForms, WPF, (and kinda UWP). During .NET CONF today they showed a huge range of 3rd parties who already are supporting .NET 5 for their UI libraries. You want multiple UI frameworks, you got it. </p><p><br></p><p>I think a bunch of .NET developers are on the Windows world and think that the entire .NET world revolves around them, but it doesn't. Ever since ASP.NET in 2002 web has been a priority for Microsoft. </p><p><br></p><p>Linux support was largely a cloud play, which is a web hosting play, which is a massive opportunity for .NET and Microsoft to keep the stack alive for decades to come. </p><p><br></p><p>Desktop developers are hurt when Microsoft changes stuff and now it is clear they are hurt when Microsoft doesn't change stuff… there is no winning for MSFT. </p>

          • rmac

            10 November, 2020 - 5:42 pm

            <blockquote><a href="#592039"><em>In reply to TheJoeFin:</em></a><em> I would say MS devs latterly think the world revolves around everyone who's not writing to a Windows Server. You say MS support mutliple UI frameworks including those supporting ASP.NET. Try building some complex grids or media queries in CSS and you'll see the UI support is close to nil. The design pane is absolutely terrible.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

            • thejoefin

              Premium Member
              10 November, 2020 - 7:04 pm

              <blockquote><em><a href="#592055">In reply to rmac:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yeah complex girds or media queries in CSS sounds terrible, that's why I prefer desktop development ?</p>

          • blue77star

            10 November, 2020 - 6:49 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#592039">In reply to TheJoeFin:</a></em></blockquote><p>When I develop for Linux or Android I use appropriate platform and language. This AIO want to be thing is DOA. Honestly, I am not even sure why is MS wasting time with this and who is their target. As I said before, I use JAVA and Android Studio to develop Android Apps. As far as UWP, that thing is dead. I never believed in open source. Most of the stuff on Git Hub is just garbage and it seems to me future of .NET is being open source. </p><p><br></p><p>I read the changes in updated version of C#, they are trying to completely destroy the language. The changes they have there are next to ridiculously stupid.</p>

            • jim_butts

              11 November, 2020 - 8:14 am

              <blockquote><em><a href="#592065">In reply to blue77star:</a></em></blockquote><p>the new record types and top level statements seem useful – as for the rest yeah I'm not impressed</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      11 November, 2020 - 8:55 am

      It means unifying open-source .NET Core with mixed-source .NET into a new open-source .NET 5+.

      Classic .NET Framework 4.whatever will still be supported. It’s part of Windows.

  • blue77star

    10 November, 2020 - 2:41 pm

    <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Microsoft expects to support.NET 5.0 through mid-February 2022 -&gt; a reason not to use it. All this garbage has limited support meaning not worth spending time on it. I am staying with .NET Framework 4.8 -&gt; Can do anything on it and as for mobile development, year right like I am going to bother with this over Android Studio.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This is DOA. </span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I recently started web application and decided to go with .NET Core 3.1 but it is already out dated and replaced with another release .NET 5 which itself has limited support. I figured non of this is worth wasting my time and decided to build Web Application using trusty .NET Framework 4.8 -&gt; which will always work! No one guarantees compatibility between .NET 3.1, .NET 5 and future .NET 6 in fact most likely there will be lot of broken stuff. That juice ain't worth the squeeze.</span></p>

    • thejoefin

      Premium Member
      10 November, 2020 - 2:56 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#591993">In reply to blue77star:</a></em></blockquote><p>The .NET release schedule is LTS every other year. So .NET CORE 3.1 is the LTS version, .NET 6 will be LTS, etc. </p><p><br></p><p>You clearly didn't pay attention to the details.</p><p><br></p><p>Seems like this video would be useful for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7z4ZxFc8h8</p&gt;

      • rmac

        10 November, 2020 - 4:14 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#591997"><em>In reply to TheJoeFin:</em></a><em> I would say blue77star has a really good point. After the Silverlight debacle, anyone in their right mind is going to wait and see if MAUI knocks everyone off their 5.0 surfboards, a comment I relayed to Dan Roth quite some time ago.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

        • thejoefin

          Premium Member
          10 November, 2020 - 4:49 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#592015">In reply to rmac:</a></em></blockquote><p>How is .NET 5 like Sliverlight? They are both from Microsoft? They both enable .NET in the browser? That is about where their similarities end. </p><p><br></p><p>.NET 5 is faster, smaller, and has more APIs than .NET Core. If devs are on .NET Core why would they not upgrade to .NET 5? </p><p><br></p><p>.NET in the browser in 2020 takes advantage of Web Assembly which is supported by every major browser. And .NET 5 web apps enable prerendered pages which speeds loading. It is quick and universally supported without a plugin. </p><p><br></p><p>It is fair to be salty about Silverlight, but .NET 5 is not Silverlight. Also if you are invested in Silverlight check out OpenSilver to keep those apps running https://github.com/OpenSilver/OpenSilver</p&gt;

          • rmac

            10 November, 2020 - 5:33 pm

            <blockquote><a href="#592037"><em>In reply to TheJoeFin:</em></a><em> please stop and think about what you're writing for just a moment. Blazor on WebAssembly is 'slow', that's why everyone is asking for AoT. But before MS have fathomed what we all know is a thorny issue to resolve i.e. performance on WebAssembly – 'the promise of Blazor', news is released about MAUI when the previous development doesn't yet deliver. You cannot blame developers for sensing It's like dealing with a kid that gets bored with a shiny new toy after 5 minutes…</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

            • thejoefin

              Premium Member
              10 November, 2020 - 7:00 pm

              <blockquote><em><a href="#592053">In reply to rmac:</a></em></blockquote><p>Blazor on WebAssembly is not slow. The initial loading of the Mono runtime is slow, but that is an issue with every big SPA app. The promise of Blazor is alive and well. MAUI is an evolution of Xamarin. </p><p>Sounds like you have a beef with Microsoft PR. But you are right developers can be very sensitive when it comes to a company's focus. If devs don't feel listened to, or their project given enough attention then they get antsy with continued investment. </p>

              • rmac

                10 November, 2020 - 9:11 pm

                <blockquote><a href="#592075"><em>In reply to TheJoeFin:</em></a><em> I have 2 issues with MS: </em></blockquote><blockquote><em>1) "</em><em style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(50, 49, 48);">Blazor WebAssembly runs on a .NET IL interpreter without any JIT so it’s not going to win any speed competitions</em><em>" – D Roth Sep '20. But if it's OK, why the need for MAUI? So here I am again wondering which to develop against despite MAUI being so far away – rather I'll wait to see what happens this Q4… or switch to Flutter; </em></blockquote><blockquote><em>2) I don't believe the VS IDE sufficiently supports 3rd party design / styling / rendering tools when the apps of today need a visual 'wow' factor. CSS is but one story in this respect. MS have no intention of doing anything about this when I believe Flutter is moving in that way, that is my frustration. This is nothing to do with MS PR and more to do with the program managers who don't seem to believe you need anything beyond a coding platform with 3rd party control vendors seeing to the UI shortfalls. It's way short on delivery.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

      • blue77star

        10 November, 2020 - 6:20 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#591997">In reply to TheJoeFin:</a></em></blockquote><p>No thanks. LTS according to Microsoft is not what I considered long time supported release. It is too much risk vs. .NET Framework 4.8. I did not jump into this bandwagon of constant changes and releases and having projects and platforms acting like a moving target for not a good reason.</p>

        • thejoefin

          Premium Member
          10 November, 2020 - 7:02 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#592064">In reply to blue77star:</a></em></blockquote><p>Microsoft's support of .NET Frameworks is "as long as .NET Framework ships with Windows it will get support" which sounds pretty vague to me. I'd guess as soon as they can drop .NET Framework they will, but who knows that could be another 5 years or 500 years?!</p>

    • thurrotcommentator

      11 November, 2020 - 10:55 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#591993">In reply to blue77star:</a></em></blockquote><p>&nbsp;"Can do anything on it and as for mobile development, year right like I am going to bother with this over Android Studio."</p><p><br></p><p>So are you going to use Android Studio to target iOS mobile apps as well? I think you may be missing the point of .NET core and Xamarin/MAUI… :)</p>

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