How should I go about installing .NET Framework?

[OmniShinzui]

I know I need 2.0 for some apps, but how should I go about installing 2.0? Should I install 1.1 first, then 2.0 or just install 2.0 by itself? What about 3.0 for XP? Is that backwards compatible for 2 and 1.1? 3.0 is like 11mb compared to 2.0 21mb, so im kinda confused which I need.

Cliffnotes: Which should I install for Framework?
A) 1.1 -> 2.0
B) 2.0
C) 1.1 -> 2.0 -> 3.0
D) 3.0

So yeah, I know im overcomplicating this simple question, but id like to know for future references too.

 

[Schadenfroh]

3.0 is backwards compatible with 2.0.

2.0 / 3.0 are not backwards compatible with 1.1.

I have not run into an application that requires 3.0, Visual Studio 2005 utilizes 2.0 and that is probably what most people are developing for right now. When Orcas (VS 2008) is released, we will see the .NET framework 3.5 and applications built for it.

Example of 2.0 and 3.0 not working with a 1.1 Application would be the Lord of the Rings Online client.

 

[Mark R]

Installing 3.0 automatically installs 2.0 - it's included in the package.

1.1 is separate. However, 2.0/3.0 are backwards compatible with 1.1. So if you have a program that needs 1.1, but only have 2.0/3.0, then the program, in most cases, will use 2.0. Occasionally, a program will actually require a specific version (but it's usually only programming tools that do this).

So if you want ultimate compatibility, you need to install 3.0 and 1.1. The installation can be performed in any order, because these 2 versions are completely separate programs.

Vista includes the .NET frameworks up to 3.0 built in. However, there are very few programs written for 3.0 - mainly because there are no programming toolkits that support it out-of-the-box (VS 2005 will do it, if you patch it).

 

[TheStu]

According to the Microsoft guy I talked to a few months ago... 3.0 is 2.0, with some new things added in for Vista and the next VS

 

[rangda]

The order you install the frameworks in does not matter.

As people have stated if you install 3.0 you get 2.0 as well. 3.0 is the same as 2.0 with 3 added technologies (new UI framework, new communication framework, and a workflow framework). 3.0 should really have been 2.5 as the base framework did not change, it was only new additions. Installing 3.0 and 1.1 would cover you for all but very old .net apps targetting 1.0 (probably none left at this point) and apps targetting 3.5 (see below).

The latest version (in beta) is 3.5. When it is finally released (in theory end of the year but I am unconvinced given how often my vs2008 beta crashes when using it for real work) you'll have yet another version to worry about as 3.0 is a full new version of the framework with some changes and yet even more features.