How do the .NET Framework, CLR and Visual Studio version numbers relate to each other?

Question

With the recent announcement of .NET 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010, it is becoming ever more difficult to keep track of what .NET Framework versions build on what version of th

Answer 1

It's hard to find, isn't it? I believe these are the versions (ignoring service packs)

• Visual Studio version 6 = last one before .NET, released in 1998
• Visual Studio 2002 = version 7.1, Rainier, first .NET version retroactively added 2002 to the name, .NET 1.0 -- released Feb 2002
• Visual Studio 2003 = version 7, Everett, .NET 1.1 -- released early 2003.
• Visual Studio 2005 = version 8 Whidbey, .NET 2.0 & 3.0 -- launch was Nov 2005. No longer called Visual Studio .NET
• Visual Studio 2008 = version 9 Orcas, .NET 3.5 -- released 11/19/2007 as 9.0.21022.8
• Visual Studio 2010 = version 10 Hawaii

The next version of Visual Studio Team System is Rosario.

How to determine which versions and service pack levels of the Microsoft .NET Framework are installed will give you more information about build numbers and service packs, but only through .NET 2.0.