.NET Framework 2.0 vs 3.5 / 4.0 ... any possible advantage to use the old version?

Question

My project manager insists on using Visual Studio 2005, which is only for the .NET 2.0 platform and only supports C # 2.0 syntax.

He insists that the 2.0 framework has better compatibility and performance for older computers. In the old way, I mean 5-8 year old Windows XP computers.

Assuming we support a minimum of Windows XP / Server 2003, are there any advantages to using .NET 2.0?

I'm sure that even with .NET 2.0 targeting, we can use the C # 3.0 syntax in our code (lambdas, automatically implemented properties, etc.) if we update VS2005.

Answer 1

.NET 2 is no longer supported by Microsoft. Well, Microsoft is making the conditions tougher to explain. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, you should at least use the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1,

http://blogs.technet.com/b/lifecycle/archive/2010/04/30/net-framework-3-5-sp1-and-later-now-supported-as-part-of-microsoft-windows. aspx

so you can get help from the Microsoft support team.

Therefore, I see no reason to stay on .NET 2.

“The 2.0 system has better compatibility and performance for older computers” is a joke to me. When you lose support from Microsoft, you lose everything.

Answer 2

.Net 2.0 is considered more widely deployed, but 3.5 is not far behind. However, there is no reason to limit yourself to Visual Studio 2005 or C # 2.0. Visual Studio 2010 can target .Net 2.0 and use C # 3.0 features at startup.

Answer 3

Usually, people who would like to use the older version, mainly because they believe that the old version is more stable and efficient for production.

But .NET 2.0 is already outdated, and .NET 3.5 and .NET 4.0 proved to be very stable and simplified the work. (for example, LINQ, you can try to program functional programming through it, very free and productive)

For part of the IDE, Microsoft is rebuilding the 2010 visual studio, it is more stable and productive, and it can also target .NET2.0 if you want.

So, why not use Visual Studio 2010 instead of 2005, even if your project is purely .NET2.0, the former also has downward compatibility.