SocketTools 6.0 Upgrade

SocketTools 6.0 includes support for the Windows 7 and Windows Vista operating systems, 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 7 Compatible

If you have customers who have upgraded their systems to use Windows 7, or are buying new computers, then we recommend that you upgrade to SocketTools 6.0 to ensure that your applications are fully compatible with Windows 7. This latest version of Windows includes enhanced security features and an updated TCP/IP networking stack, and SocketTools 6.0 has been tested extensively to ensure that your programs will work correctly under Windows 7, along with Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3.

We have been using Windows 7 and Windows Vista along with Visual Studio 2008 as our primary development platform since release, and we were involved with beta testing before that. As a developer, there are things that you can do to help ensure compatibility with this new version of Windows, and upgrading to SocketTools 6.0 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 6.0 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 6.0 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 6.0 was to maintain source compatibility with versions 4.0 and 5.0, 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 6.0 includes managed code assemblies for the .NET 1.1 Framework using Visual Studio .NET 2003, the .NET 2.0 Framework using Visual Studio 2005 and the .NET 3.5 Framework using Visual Studio 2008. 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 various versions are identical, making the migration to the current version of Visual Studio a simple, straight-forward process. Everything you need for .NET development is included in the single SocketTools package.

Order the Upgrade

If you have any questions about SocketTools 6.0, 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.
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