SharpDevelop 3.0 now supports .Net 3.5, IronPython and F#

SharpDevelop version 3.0 has been released with new features, updates and bug fixes. The open source development environment can create .Net and Mono applications in C#, Visual Basic and Boo. The Python implementation for .Net – IronPython and the F# language are now also supported programming languages. With version 3.0, it is now possible to program for Microsoft's .Net 3.5.

The features of SharpDevelop and Microsoft's Visual Studio have several similarities. Visual Studio projects can also be opened and edited in the open source IDE. The SharpDevelop team does not consider itself to be in competition with the free-of-charge Express Editions of Visual Studio, however SharpDevelop does have some differentiating features, such as integrated Unit Testing with NUnit, Code-Coverage (via PartCover) and automated documentation creation.

Further functions include support for multi-core processors and a design preview for the "Windows Presentation Foundation" (WPF). The Feature-Tour gives a good overview of the functions in the development environment.

In order to use the new version, the developers recommend that you have the following pre-installed: Microsoft FxCop (for the code analysis), Microsoft StyleCop (for the C# code analysis), TortoiseSVN (for source control) and an F#-Compiler for Microsoft's .Net. SharpDevelop uses the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) 2.1 and requires at least the .NET 3.5 runtime to be installed. The accompanying SDK is recommended. The operating systems supported are Windows XP SP2 and later (eg Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista).

SharpDevelop 3.0 Final is currently available for download.

(crve)