This post originated from an RSS feed registered with .NET Buzz by Sam Gentile. Original Post: Anders Introduces LINQ at PDC Keynote Feed Title: Sam Gentile's Blog Feed URL: http://samgentile.com/blog/Rss.aspx Feed Description: .NET and Software Development from an experienced perspective - .NET/CLR, Rotor, Interop, MC+/C++, COM+, ES, Mac OS X, Extreme Programming and More! Latest .NET Buzz Posts Latest .NET Buzz Posts by Sam Gentile Latest Posts From Sam Gentile's Blog

I'm watching the Bill Gates PDC Keynote on Windows Media, where Anders just introduced LINQ. I don't want to say much more than he said yet (C# MVPs were pre-briefed) until after the sessions  Ok, it's announced here. LINQ is freaking cool and will make C# and VB developer's lives much better around data. LINQ is the .NET Language Integrated Query which brings in query expressions into C# and VB. Basically, any data that supports IEnumerable. In other words, a single, general-purpose declarative query mechanism for all data, whether it be in-memory or external. I'm not sure I can show the syntax yet on a blog but it works over XML and SQL. There is XLinq, a set of operators to provide XPath/XQuery functionality directly in C# and VB. DLinq is the set of operators over SQL, integrating SQL schema info into the CLR Type system, so you get strong typing over relational data while still having the relational model's expressive power.

Even better, take a look at VB's Architect Paul Vick's post on LINQ.

How to get it: Hejlsberg: Project LINQ is targeted at future versions of Visual Studio: however we're making a Project LINQ Tech Preview available at the Microsoft Professional Developers 2005 Conference so that developers can immediately begin taking advantage of the capabilities that LINQ provides. The preview contains pre-release versions of the various components of the LINQ Project, including a C# compiler, with extensions to support LINQ, as well as a Web link for downloading a Visual Basic compiler that has built-in LINQ support. Both of these pre-release compilers work with Beta 2 of Visual Studio 2005 and will work with Visual Studio 2005 when it becomes available in November.

Argh, I just installed the RC of VSTS and September of Yukon and Indigo, Avalon, and now this require me to keep a very old Beta 2 around!