Overview of .NET Framework 3.0 (WinFx)

The goal in application development is always the same: create the best possible software in the least amount of time. Yet the bar is continually raised, as the platforms on which developers build get better and better. In Windows, for example, the original Win32 interface has been subsumed by the much more functional .NET Framework. Both version 1.0 of the Framework, released in 2002, and version 2.0, released in 2005, provide a significantly better and more productive environment for people who design and write Windows software.
The .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly known as WinFX) is the next step in this progression. Applications built on this new version of the Framework can be created with Visual Studio 2005, making it feel familiar to most Windows developers. But the .NET Framework 3.0 is also an evolution, adding more to what version 2.0 of the Framework already provides. Scheduled to be released in late 2006, the .NET Framework 3.0 will be available for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP.
This paper provides a big-picture view of the .NET Framework 3.0 and its components. The goal is to make clear what this new release is, examine how its technologies can be used, and provide brief explanations of those technologies.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dndotnet/html/intronetfx30.asp

WinFx (.NET Framework 3.0) Developer Resources

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly WinFX), is the new managed code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with four new technologies: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), and Windows CardSpace (WCS, formerly "InfoCard"). Use the .NET Framework 3.0 today to build applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, the ability to support a wide range of business processes, and an easier way to manage your personal information online. Now the same great WinFX technology you know and love has a new name that identifies it for exactly what it is – the next version of Microsoft’s development framework. This change does not affect the release schedule of the .NET Framework 3.0 or the technologies included as a part of the package.
.NET Framework 3.0 Versioning and Deployment Q&A
http://msdn.microsoft.com/winfx/learning/netfx3faq/default.aspx

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
http://www.davidchappell.com/IntroducingWCFv1.2.1.pdf


Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnlong/html/WFIntro.asp#wwfi_topic2


Windows CardSpace (WCS)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnlong/html/IntroInfoCard.asp