.NET Compact Framework 2.0, for Visual Studio 2005, will see an execution engine Microsoft said would offer a very, very significant boost to performance in certain scenarios such as when a Windows CE device talks to Microsoft’s SQL Server database.
Also planned are a greater number of controls – blocks of code containing subroutines and function routines that, when dragged and dropped into place during and application’s build process, provide specific functionality without the need for hand coding.
Controls in .NET Compact Framework 2.0 are expected to provide messaging between mobile devices and business systems, using SMS and MSMQ, and access to Personal Information Management (PIM) applications such as user’s contact and address books.
Continued interoperability between .NET and pre-.NET languages such as C/C++ is also planned, the company said.
Microsoft’s .NET Compact Framework is a subset of the.NET Framework, which has been reduced to suit the constraints of mobile devices. The .NET Framework was launched to help unify the company’s programming environment around a single tool suite, Visual Studio.NET, and language execution engine, with the Common Language Runtime (CLR).
Separately, Microsoft plans features in the Windows Mobile operating system it claims will assist portability of applications in the fragmented mobile device and handset market.
Portability is a challenge because of the proliferation of devices whose builds vary according to screen size, keyboard, audio-visual and other capabilities.
The Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition operating system, launched yesterday, features APIs that automatically re-orientate an application’s interface to either vertical or horizontal screen, without need for re-programming by the developer. APIs are also planned for camera and location in a future version of the operating system, Microsoft said.
This article is based on material originally published by ComputerWire
