Microsoft has released .NET 9 stable version after testing the Preview version since the beginning of 2024. Following the completion of .NET 7 era, Microsoft’s focus has been on developing .NET as a unified platform for various applications, including web, server, desktop, mobile, and emerging technologies like AI. With the arrival of .NET 9, there have been significant changes, with every crucial component of .NET receiving thorough updates.
One notable improvement is the efficiency enhancement of the garbage collector (GC) on the server-side, leading to a reduction in memory usage by up to 93% and an increase in request per second by 15%. The introduction of .NET Aspire, a toolkit for developing .NET apps on containers, has added features enabling integration with popular AI services like OpenAI, Ollama, along with support for working with Azure Functions in a preview mode. Microsoft reports that after the release of .NET Aspire, internal teams like Xbox and Copilot have started using it in real-world scenarios.
AI capabilities have been expanded to support a wide range of software and tools from numerous partners such as Azure, OpenAI, LlamaIndex, Qdrant, Pinecone, Milvus, AutoGen, OllamaSharp, ONNX Runtime, with the addition of new libraries like Microsoft.Extensions.AI and Microsoft.Extensions.VectorData to facilitate easier AI development in C#.
On the web app front, ASP.NET Core & Blazor now support ahead-of-time compilation for improved performance, optimized collaboration with static files (e.g., JavaScript/CSS), and Blazor introduces RendererInfo API for detecting rendering methods of components.
MAUI, the UI development toolkit for desktop and mobile apps, now offers enhanced support for partner company content like Syncfusion, compatibility with Native AOT compilation, improved integration with Xcode, and addition of Android Asset Packs.
For traditional desktop apps on Windows, the origin of .NET, support for Native AOT in WinUI 3 toolset, transformation of legacy WPF content themes to Fluent UI for a modern look, Dark Mode compatibility for WinForms-built components, and inclusion of API for icon customization have been implemented.
Other notable additions include C# version 13, F# 9, and Visual Studio 2022 version 17.12 released in tandem with .NET 9.
TLDR: Microsoft has rolled out .NET 9 stable version, bringing significant updates and improvements across various aspects, including AI integration, performance enhancements, and expanded toolkits for app development on different platforms.
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