.Net Client Profile - The .Net Framework on SlimFast (aka a slimmed down version of the Framework with JUST the client stuff in it - A .Net Framework in a 27MB install...)

Troy Martez's Weblog - Introducing the .NET Framework Client Profile

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The .NET Framework 3.5 Client Profile (Client Profile) was created to answer the feedback from many customers that a smaller framework was needed specifically for Client Applications. The Client Profile is a subset of assemblies already contained within .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1. The Client Profile subset is focused on fulfilling the needs of Client applications.

The Client Profile contains the following features:

• Smaller framework deployment - ~27 MB client deployment package
• Smaller, faster client deployment boot strapper
• Client Application focused feature set:
  • Common Language Runtime (CLR)
  • ClickOnce
  • Windows Forms
  • Windows Presentation Foundation
  • Windows Communication Foundation
• Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Integration – Applications can be targeted specifically for the Client Profile subset.

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BCL Team Blog - .NET Framework Client Profile [Justin Van Patten]

"Last week Soma and Scott Guthrie announced the availability of Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Beta.  As part of this release, we’re introducing the .NET Framework Client Profile, a smaller .NET Framework redist optimized for .NET client applications.  The new redist weighs in at around 26.5 MB, enabling a smaller, faster, more reliable installation experience for .NET client applications on machines that do not already have the .NET Framework installed.

.NET Framework Client Profile Assemblies

Here's the list of assemblies that are included in the.NET Framework Client Profile.  Please note that this is actually the list of assemblies that will be included in the RTM release of the Client Profile; the beta version released last week includes some assemblies that will not be included in the RTM release (more details below).

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I'm pretty excited about this... Deployment, while easier in .Net than in the past, still can be a pain. A pain in getting that initial .Net Framework deployed. I feel that the .Net Framework Client Profile will go a good way in helping with that pain (27MB is SURE a lot better than the 250MB+ full on framework).

While this is kind of a stop gap, it's a very nice one. The bin's are the same, between the full Framework and the Client Profile, the same zero's and one's. The Client Profile is just lighter and doesn't have the server side baggage. And the Profile can easily be "upgraded" to the Full if needed (since they are the same bin's... etc, etc).

Now a perfect world would let us deploy the app with only its required framework components statically linked into it, and would not require any prerequisite admin rights required framework install. But we don't live in a perfect world...

What could get us close is if SoftGrid (now known as Microsoft Application Virtualization) were baked into Windows and VS. That from within VS we could build virtualized applications, which would then include said framework embedded into the virtualized app space... And if SoftGrid were baked into Windows we'd finally have a real xcopy deployment story.

Maybe one day...