Re-evaluate supported .NET products / C# language version

[lukebakken]

Version 7 of this client supports netstandard2.0, which prevents the use of features like MemoryPool.

Before shipping version 8, supported frameworks and C# language version should be re-evaluated.

Discussion: #1347 (comment)

[paulomorgado]

,NET Framework will be supported for the foreseeable future and it's only .NET Standard 2.0 compliant., So, .NET Standard 2.0 should be supported.

Any types introduced because of .NET Standard 2.0 should provide implicit conversions and overloads for .NET (6+) types.

[bording]

On the other hand, I think there's an increasingly good case for dropping .NET Framework support, especially if you can keep an older version "supported" for perhaps an extended amount of time to offer a version that keeps working on .NET Framework.

As more and more .NET releases come out, the gap between them and and .NET Framework keeps growing, making it impossible (or incredibly painful) to take advantage of the new features being offered.

Locking to .NET Standard 2.0 (2.1 is a completely dead end, don't even look at it) is an anchor holding back actual innovation.

[paulomorgado]

.NET Standard 2.1 was a band-aid in the evolution process. It was never supposed to exist, but some runtimes were late to move to .NET 5.0.

You have to consider the cost of keeping older versions supported against having conditional code for newer versions. even if with limited features or capabilities.

,NET Framework (.NET Standard 2.0) will be supported, at least, while Windows Server 2022 is supported, which is Oct. 31 2031.

• Microsoft .NET Framework Support Lifecycle
• Windows Server 2022 Support Lifecycle

[Romfos]

Problem is that ms slowly stopping support .NET Standard 2.0 properly in modern nuget packages and slowly go away from it

For example:
one of the dependency for RabbitMQ.Client

long story short:
Support net framework via .NET standard 2.0 is not a good idea in long perspective, better to directly support as we have it in version 6

I would recommend support directly:
.NET 6+ (minimal supported version of .NET by MS) or newer
.NET Framework 4.6.2 (minimal supported .NET Framework by MS) or newer
and remove .NET Standard 2.0 support

<TargetFrameworks>net6.0;net462</TargetFrameworks>

[stebet]

I'd say remove .NET Framework support completely for v8.0 onwards, and just target whatever is the then currently supported LTS version, as long as 7.x (ehich would be the last .NET Framework supported release) continues to get bugfixes backported as appropriate.

[paulomorgado]

@Romfos,

Problem is that ms slowly stopping support .NET Standard 2.0 properly in modern nuget packages and slowly go away from it

What evidence do you have of that?

All supported versions of .NET Framework are fully .NET Standard 2.0 compliant. That should be the target if it meets all needs. Otherwise, it should be the lowest .NET Framework version.

.NET Framework will be around for a long time. .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is supported until 2029. Imagine for how long .NET Framework 4.8 will be supported.

[Romfos]

@paulomorgado

you can check my screenshot above about warning for support and testing

some additional articles:

• https://andrewlock.net/stop-lying-about-netstandard-2-support/
• Discussion: netstandard2.0 packages don't compile for out-of-support runtimes open-telemetry/opentelemetry-dotnet#3448

[paulomorgado]

@Romfos, that screenshot is referring to .NET Core 2.0, not .NET Standard 2.0.

[Romfos]

@paulomorgado this screenshot related to .net standard support for some runtimes like .net 5, .net core 3.1, .net fx .4.6.1

[paulomorgado]

@Romfos,

NetFx461 was declared mostly, but not fully implementing .NET Standard 2.0. But 4.6.2 and forward are. And those are the ones supported.

.NET Core 3.1 and .NET 5.0 are no longer supported. But they do fully implement .NET Standard 2.0.

I can't see any of your claims in there. What am I missing here?