Why does Visual Studio 2010 have .NET Framework 4.0 Client Profile as default project type?

Question

Client profile mode is the subset of Full .NET Framework and it eliminates the designer related assemblies which are unnecessary for the end user deployment and etc. Everything looks great and it really helps us to solve the deployment huge data transfer problem.

But what is the need of Client profile project type as the default one? I really feel that this is annoying me since I need to switch to full Framework mode whenever I create a new project.

P.S : Please do not suggest me to set the .NET Full Framework mode as the default one in Visual studio if it has. I want to know the real benefit of this new project type and may be I would have misunderstood this concept.

Do you have an idea on this?

Rob

Answer 1

Well - it depends on what you are doing.

For most projects it is totally sufficient to target the Client profile. You already described the advantages: Faster installation and less data to download during installation of the .NET framework.

Only if you need classes mainly used on servers you have to manually change to the "Full" version.

Here's my guess:
However, as most developers who don't know what it does won't change the default state, the default state is the Client Profile - it has no real disadvantages unless you need the "advanced" classes.
Therefore, if your project would run on the "Client Profile" framework, you should target it - some users who do not have the .NET Framework already installed will profit from it.

The others won't notice as the "Client Profile" is a subset of the "full" .NET and fully compatible.

Savdeep

Answer 2

If the Client Profile is the default, more developers will use it, resulting in better acceptance of the Client Profile, which is basically a win-win-situation for developers and users. The Client Profile, as you already said, simplifies deployment for the developer, and decreases the download size for the end user. It's, in my opinion, a good thing to use it as default. You can switch to the full framework later anyway, if it is really necessary.

Plaster

It's a good thing only if you can change the default (i.e., change it once and have all future projects reflect the change automatically). Otherwise, it's microsoft shoving their vision -- good or bad -- down developers' throats. – Latoyalatoye

@davej: Well, if the Client Profile default bothers you, you're already using the latest version of the .NET Framework and Visual Studio, which means you're following their vision of future development anyway. I don't see how using the Client Profile by default rather than the Full Profile changes anything. The accepted answer expands on why the new default is an advantage overall. – Plaster

@OregonGhost: I have responsibilities which require me to use VS2010, just as I have responsibilities that require me to use Windows and Office. I do not think these products are the best out there, but MS is the 800-lb gorilla, and so I must deal with it. Doesn't mean I have to tacitly accept the glaring flaws in MS products when I see them. – Latoyalatoye

@davej: If it's a glaring flaw for you that the smaller framework is used by default and you can't change the default, I don't want to know what you do when you discover one of the real problems Visual Studio has ;) Create a macro or extension to create projects that default to full profile and you'll never see client profile again ;) – Plaster