Applications, Components and Libraries for Software Developers
SocketTools 5.0 Upgrade
SocketTools 5.0 includes support for the new Windows Vista operating system, improvements in multithreading and overall performance, better firewall and proxy server support and much more. This new release also includes updated versions of SocketWrench, the Catalyst File Transfer Control and Catalyst Internet Mail Control.
Windows Vista Compatible
If you have customers who are interested in upgrading their systems to use Windows Vista, or are buying new computers, then we really recommend that you upgrade to SocketTools 5.0 to ensure that your applications are compatible with Vista. This latest version of Windows sports a new security system and TCP/IP networking stack, and SocketTools 5.0 has been tested extensively to ensure that your programs will work correctly under Vista, along with Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000.
We have been using Windows Vista and Visual Studio 2005 as our primary development platform since the RTM build this past November, and we were involved with beta testing before that. In other words, we didn’t just check that product installed and declared it compatible; we actually work with Vista every day and we’re committed to helping our developers move forward to this new version of Windows. As a developer, there are things that you can do to help prepare for the transition, and upgrading to SocketTools 5.0 is a significant part of that.
Improved Performance
One of the most significant changes in SocketTools is something that is really “under the hood”, with the core networking code updated to increase performance, reduce resource overhead and improve memory management. New code was written to take advantages of features in Vista, such as support for AES encryption when establishing secure SSL/TLS connections. All of the hybrid code that existed to support legacy versions of Windows (such as Windows 95 and Windows 98) was either removed or rewritten and optimized for Windows Vista and Windows XP. It’s important to keep in mind that the minimum operating system version supported by SocketTools 5.0 is Windows 2000. If you still have applications that are running on older, unsupported versions of Windows, you’ll be pleased to know that the version 5.0 components and libraries can also co-exist side-by-side with previous versions.
The changes in SocketTools weren’t all below the surface, however. We’ve added new features like support for free threading in the .NET and Library Editions, and streamlined interfaces in the ActiveX controls and .NET classes which can reduce the amount of code that you need to write. For example, in earlier versions of SocketTools, if you wanted to download a file you had to write code that performed the connection, logged in to the server if necessary, transfer the file and then disconnect from the server. With the new version, you can do all of that in a single method call by simply providing a URL to the GetFile method.
Of course, your code that performs each discrete step will continue to work just as it always has in previous versions. One of the principal goals with SocketTools 5.0 was to maintain source compatibility with version 4.0 and 4.5, making it easy for you to upgrade to the new release without having to worry about rewriting existing code. In most cases, you won’t have to change anything other than referencing the new component or library.
SocketTools .NET
For developers targeting the .NET Framework, SocketTools 5.0 includes managed code assemblies for both the .NET 1.1 Framework using Visual Studio .NET 2003, and the .NET 2.0 Framework using Visual Studio 2005. This gives you the freedom to target the specific framework that you’re using, and if you upgrade to the latest version of Visual Studio, you can switch to the new assemblies seamlessly. The class interfaces for the two versions are identical, making the migration to the current version of Visual Studio a simple, straight-forward process. Of course, SocketTools 5.0 is also fully compatible with .NET 3.0, which is a collection of additional classes built upon the 2.0 Framework. Everything you need for either version of .NET is included in the single SocketTools package.
Order the Upgrade
If you have any questions about SocketTools 5.0, visit our technical
support forums
or you can contact us directly. We have special upgrade pricing available to
current SocketTools customers and you can order your upgrade online. If you place
your order during business hours, you’ll get your new product serial number within the
hour. If you’re currently evaluating SocketTools, make sure you have
downloaded the current release and it’ll extend your evaluation period for
another thirty days.
» Purchase Upgrade
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SocketTools 5.0
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