.NET Application Development Company

These represent three generations of Microsoft's development platform. .NET Framework (2002-2019) was Windows-only, closed-source, and ran on the full Windows framework installed on the machine. It is now in maintenance mode receiving security fixes only - no new features. .NET Core (2016-2020) was Microsoft's open-source, cross-platform re-implementation designed to run on Windows, Linux, and macOS - faster and more modular than Framework. .NET 5 onwards (current releases - .NET 6, 7, 8, 9) unified .NET Core, Xamarin, and Mono into a single platform called simply '.NET' - cross-platform, open-source, high-performance, and actively developed. New development should target .NET 8 (LTS) or .NET 9 (current). .NET Framework applications continue to work but should plan migration to .NET 8 for long-term viability.

.NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) is Microsoft's framework for building cross-platform native applications from a single C# codebase. It targets four platforms: Android (running on Android 5.0 / API 21 and above), iOS (running on iOS 14 and above), macOS (running on macOS 12 and above via Mac Catalyst), and Windows (running on Windows 10 version 1809 and above via WinUI 3). One project, one codebase, four native applications. MAUI uses .NET's platform abstraction: common UI controls (Entry, Button, ListView, Shell navigation) render as native controls on each platform. Platform-specific behaviour is implemented via platform-specific service implementations behind interfaces - the ViewModel and business logic are platform-agnostic; platform services are injected via dependency injection. MAUI is the successor to Xamarin.Forms, which is now end-of-life.

Choose WPF when: the application needs rich UI with custom graphics, animations, or resolution-independent rendering; you want MVVM architecture with strong data binding (WPF's binding engine is significantly more powerful than WinForms); the application will display complex data visualisation, charts, or printed reports; or the long-term maintainability of MVVM-structured code is a priority. Choose Windows Forms when: the application is a simple data-entry tool or internal utility where rapid development speed matters more than UI richness; the development team is more familiar with WinForms and the project timeline is short; the application must support very old hardware or Windows versions; or you are modernising an existing WinForms application from .NET Framework to .NET 8 (direct migration, no rewrite). Both frameworks are fully supported on .NET 8 and will continue to receive updates on future .NET versions.

IHostedService is .NET's interface for implementing long-running background tasks hosted within the Generic Host - the .NET application hosting model used by ASP.NET Core, console apps, and Windows Services. BackgroundService is an abstract class implementing IHostedService that simplifies the pattern for continuous background workers (override ExecuteAsync with your work loop). A Windows Service is a specific deployment mode where a .NET Generic Host application runs as a Windows OS service - started and stopped by the Windows Service Control Manager, running without a user session, starting at system boot. The same code using IHostedService/BackgroundService can be deployed as a Windows Service (UseWindowsService() extension method), a Linux systemd service (UseSystemd()), a Docker container, or an Azure Container Apps Job - the deployment target is a configuration choice, not a code change.

Code sharing between .NET MAUI and ASP.NET Core is straightforward - both run on the same .NET runtime and NuGet package ecosystem. Create a separate Class Library project in your solution targeting net8.0 (or netstandard2.0 for broader compatibility). Place in this shared library: domain entity classes and records, data transfer objects (DTOs) used in both API responses and MAUI model binding, FluentValidation validators for business rules, API client interface definitions and implementations using IHttpClientFactory, constants and enumerations, and utility/extension methods. Both the MAUI project and the ASP.NET Core project reference this shared library as a project reference - changes to shared models are instantly reflected in both applications. This eliminates the most common cross-platform bug: the mobile app's model class drifting out of sync with the API's response model.

Microsoft follows a predictable .NET release schedule: one new major version per year in November. Even-numbered versions are LTS (Long-Term Support) - 3 years of support. Odd-numbered versions are STS (Standard-Term Support) - 18 months. Current versions as of early 2026: .NET 9 (STS - released November 2024, supported until May 2026), .NET 8 (LTS - released November 2023, supported until November 2026). Planning implication: .NET 8 LTS is the safe choice for enterprise applications requiring predictable, long-term support. .NET 6 LTS reached end-of-support in November 2024 - any application on .NET 6 is unpatched and should be upgraded to .NET 8. End-of-support .NET applications are a security liability - they receive no patches for newly discovered runtime or BCL vulnerabilities.

Migrating Windows Forms or WPF applications from .NET Framework to .NET 8 is generally the most straightforward .NET migration type - both frameworks are fully supported on modern .NET and the code changes required are typically minimal. Process: (1) Convert project file from old-style .csproj to SDK-style format (the .NET Upgrade Assistant tool from Microsoft can do this automatically). (2) Update NuGet packages - most popular packages have .NET 8 compatible versions; identify any that do not. (3) Address deprecated APIs - some .NET Framework APIs are missing in .NET 8 (typically Windows-specific APIs that were never ported, or APIs deliberately removed as insecure). (4) Address platform compatibility warnings - .NET Compatibility Analyzer flags APIs that only work on Windows. (5) Test thoroughly. The .NET Upgrade Assistant extension for Visual Studio automates steps 1-3. Timeline: a typical 50,000-line WinForms application migrates in 2-4 weeks. The main difficulty is dependencies with abandoned NuGet packages that have no .NET 8 equivalent.

WPF desktop application development, Windows Forms development, .NET MAUI cross-platform app development, .NET microservices architecture, .NET background services and Windows Services, console and CLI tools, ASP.NET Core web applications, and .NET Framework to .NET 8 modernisation.

.NET 8 (LTS - Long Term Support, supported until November 2026) for projects requiring long-term stability, and .NET 9 (latest) for projects wanting current platform features.

Yes. Evolution Infosystem builds .NET MAUI applications targeting Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS from a single C# codebase - with offline-first SQLite architecture and ASP.NET Core Web API backend sharing domain models via class libraries.

Yes. Evolution Infosystem migrates Windows Forms and WPF applications from .NET Framework 4.x to .NET 8 - using the .NET Upgrade Assistant for automated project conversion and handling manual package replacements where .NET 8 equivalents are needed.

Yes. Evolution Infosystem builds .NET BackgroundService implementations deployed as Windows Services (UseWindowsService()) or Linux daemons (UseSystemd()) - including scheduled sync services, event-driven processors, file watchers, and report generators.