Category News

Create Internet Comms and Security Apps for .NET 8

November 23, 2023
Rebex adds new binaries that target the latest version of .NET across its entire product range.

Rebex designs and develops high-quality software components for .NET developers. Its products include SFTP, FTP, HTTPS, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, TLS, SSH, Terminal emulation, and security components. Rebex products are used by thousands of developers at more than 10,000 ISVs, corporations, and educational, governmental and non-profit organizations around the world.

The following Rebex products have been updated with support for .NET 8, allowing developers to build communications and security applications in the new release version of Microsoft's popular .NET ecosystem:

.NET 8: A New Era of Performance and Productivity

November 23, 2023
Microsoft has officially released .NET 8, the latest version of its popular development platform.

Microsoft has released .NET 8, the latest version of its popular development platform. This new Long Term Support (LTS) release will be supported by Microsoft for three years after the initial release. .NET 8 delivers significant performance, stability, and security improvements, as well as platform and tooling enhancements that help increase developer productivity and speed of innovation.

Key highlights of .NET 8 include:

  • Unparalleled performance: .NET 8 comes with thousands of performance improvements across the stack.
  • .NET Aspire: An opinionated stack to build observable, production-ready cloud-native applications with .NET.
  • .NET 8 Container Enhancements: More secure, compact, and productive.
  • Native AoT: Compile your .NET apps into native code that uses less memory and starts instantly.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Infuse AI into your .NET applications.
  • Blazor: Build full stack web applications with .NET.
  • .NET MAUI: Elevated performance, reliability, and developer experience.
  • C# 12 Features: Simplified syntax for better developer productivity.

Learn more about .NET 8 in this blog post by Microsoft's Gaurav Seth, or see Microsoft's article What's New in .NET 8.

Many ComponentSource Partners are updating their products with support for .NET 8:

See .NET 8 Compatible Products

Visual Studio 2022 17.8 adds .NET 8 Support

November 23, 2023
The latest Visual Studio update delivers a wealth of productivity, programming language, and enterprise management enhancements, as well as full compatibility with .NET 8.

Microsoft Visual Studio is an industry-leading IDE used to develop apps for desktop, mobile and the web. Visual Studio provides a complete set of tools for developing code, including a code editor, compiler, debugger, and tester. It also includes a variety of other features, such as a source code control system, a deployment tool, and a profiler.

On November 14, 2023, Microsoft released the latest version of this powerful development environment: Visual Studio 2022 version 17.8. This release includes numerous new features including:

  • Full Integration with .NET 8 - the latest version of Microsoft's .NET platform.
  • A new summary difference view which allows you to focus on changes in your code.
  • The ability to create a Pull Request directly within Visual Studio.
  • Case preserving find and replace functionality.
  • Performance improvements including enhanced F5 speed.

Learn more about the new release in this blog by Microsoft's Adrian Murphy or see the full Visual Studio 2022 v17.8 Release Notes.

ComponentOne Studio ActiveX Full Support Ends December 31, 2023

November 23, 2023
After 20+ years of dedicated support, MESCIUS is discontinuing support and maintenance updates for its suite of legacy ActiveX controls.

ComponentOne Studio ActiveX, a widely used collection of UI components for legacy desktop applications, is reaching the end of its support cycle. After two decades of supporting this platform, MESCIUS (formerly GrapeCity) has decided to discontinue full support for its ActiveX products.

MESCIUS adheres to Microsoft's "It Just Works" compatibility guidelines for its ActiveX controls on Microsoft Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, as well as Windows Server 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2019. However, due to changes in Windows operating systems and Microsoft's end-of-support policies, MESCIUS is no longer able to provide maintenance updates for any of its ActiveX controls.

ComponentOne Studio ActiveX Edition's full support will cease on December 31, 2023. The C1ControlPanel application will continue to offer the final version of the ActiveX Edition for download and licensing.

Starting January 1, 2024, licenses will still be available for purchase, but only licensing support will be provided. The MESCIUS ActiveX forum will remain active indefinitely, and the knowledge base will continue to be enriched with existing solutions.

Export Reports to PDF in WinForms Apps

November 22, 2023
Enable users to easily distribute reports in a widely supported format.

PDF export functionality in a reporting component allows users can effortlessly convert reports into PDF format, preserving the original layout and facilitating seamless sharing and printing. The widespread adoption and cross-platform compatibility of PDF make it an indispensable choice for distributing reports effectively.

Several WinForms reporting components support PDF export including:

  • DevExpress Reports can generate high-quality PDF reports from your WinForms applications with comprehensive formatting and layout options.
  • ActiveReports.NET by MESCIUS (formerly GrapeCity) effortlessly exports data to PDF using its powerful rendering engine and extensive export options.
  • Stimulsoft Reports.Net allows users to export to PDF with support for signatures and encryption.
  • FastReport.NET includes comprehensive PDF export features to generate high-quality, styled and interactive PDF reports from WinForms applications.
  • List and Label by combit helps you easily convert your WinForms reports to PDF with advanced PDF export capabilities.

For an in-depth analysis of features and price, visit our comparison of WinForms Reporting components.

Compare WinForms Reporting Components