
LINQ to SQL includes new support for the new date and file stream capabilities in SQL Server 2008.The Entity Data Source provides a traditional data source experience for ASP.NET application builders who want to work with the Entity Framework. The graph serialization work helps developers who want to build Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services that model full graphs as data contracts. With this release, the Entity Framework supports the new date and file stream capabilities in SQL Server 2008. The Entity Framework introduces some additional features, including support for new SQL Server 2008 types, default graph serialization of Entities, and the Entity Data Source. For more information see Getting Started with the Entity Framework.

The Entity Framework allows developers to program against relational databases in terms of application-specific domain models instead of the underlying database models.

Additional functionality for WPF includes better support for line of business applications, native splash screen support, DirectX pixel shader support, and the new WebBrowser control.

Additionally, managed applications that are opened from network shares have the same behavior as native applications by running with full trust. NET Framework native images, opting out of strong-name verification for fully trusted assemblies, improved application startup performance, better generated code that improves end-to-end application execution time, and opting managed code to run in ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) mode if supported by the operating system.
