Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile RC

Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile RC is an essential package for Microsoft Windows OS in which you can find a subset of features from the .NET Framework 4. The Client Profile is designed to run client applications and to enable the fastest possible deployment for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Windows Forms technology. Application developers who require features that are not included in the Client Profile should target the full .NET Framework 4 instead of the Client Profile.

Earlier version of the .NET Client Profile was only available to XP x86 machines without any .NET Framework installed. With .NET Framework 4, supported OS and machine architectures with or without earlier versions of the Framework can install the Client Profile to take advantage of the faster deployment and improved features of .NET Framework 4.

The .NET Framework 4 works side by side with older Framework versions. Applications that are based on earlier versions of the Framework will continue to run on the version targeted by default.

Major Features:

1. Improvements in CLR and BCL
   • Performance improvement including better multicore support, background garbage collection, and profiler attach on server.
   • New memory mapped file and numeric types
   • Easier debugging including dump debugging, Watson minidumps, mixed mode debugging for 64 bit and code contracts.
2. Innovations in the Visual Basic and C# languages, for example statement lambdas, implicit line continuations, dynamic dispatch, and named/optional parameters.
3. Improvements in ADO.NET
   • Entity Framework, which simplifies how developers program against relational databases by raising the level of abstraction. The Entity Framework has many new features in the .NET 4 Framework. These features include persistence ignorance and POCO support, Foreign Key Associations, lazy loading, test-driven development support, functions in model, and new LINQ operators.
   • Data Services framework consists of a combination of patterns and libraries that enable the consumption of REST-based data services for the web. ADO.NET Data Services has many new features in the .NET 4 Framework. These features include: enhanced BLOB support, Data Binding, Row Count, Feed Customization, Projections, and Request Pipeline improvements. Built-in integration in Microsoft Office 2010 now makes it possible to expose Microsoft Office SharePoint Server data as a data service and access that data using the ADO.NET Data Services client library.
4. Improvements in WPF
   • Added support for Windows 7 multi-touch, ribbon controls, and taskbar extensibility features.
   • Added support for Surface 2.0 SDK.
   • New line-of-business controls including charting control, smart edit, data grid, and others that improve the experience for developers who build data centric applications.
   • Improvements in performance and scalability.
   • Visual improvements in text clarity, layout pixel snapping, localization, and interoperability.
5. New Windows Workflow (WF) that includes an improved activity programming model, an improved designer experience, a new flowchart modeling style, an expanded activity palette, and new message correlation features. The .NET Framework 4 also offers significant performance gains for WF-based workflows.
6. Improvements to Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) such as support for WCF Workflow Services enabling workflow programs with messaging activities, correlation support. Additionally, .NET Framework 4 provides new WCF features such as service discovery, routing service, REST support, diagnostics, and performance.
7. Innovative new parallel-programming features such as parallel loop support, Task Parallel Library (TPL), Parallel LINQ (PLINQ), and coordination data structures which let developers harness the power of multi-core processors. 

Requirements:

• Supported Operating Systems:
  
• • Windows XP SP3
  • Windows Server 2003 SP2
  • Windows Vista SP1 or later
  • Windows 7
  • Windows Server 2008 (Server Core Role not supported)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core Role not supported)
• Supported Architectures:
• • x86
  • x64
• Hardware Requirements:
• • Minimum Hard Disk Space:
  • • x86: 600 MB
    • x64: 1.5 GB
  • Processor and RAM:
  • • Recommended Minimum: Pentium 1 GHz or faster, 512 MB or more RAM
• Other System Requirements:
• • Windows Installer 3.1 or later
  • Internet Explorer 5.01 or later