Evaluate moving from .NET Standard to .NET Core/.NET (modern frameworks)

[toizo]

Background

The DAFDA library began its evolution using .NET Standard as the target framework, which made sense to maximize compatibility when support for .NET Framework was still necessary. However, the ecosystem has since shifted significantly:

• The vast majority of maintainers and consumers have transitioned away from the old .NET Framework.
• Microsoft is investing solely in the current .NET platform (.NET 6 / .NET 8+), and new language features and APIs are not available in .NET Standard.
• Supporting .NET Standard restricts progress and prevents us from leveraging both compiler and runtime improvements.

Proposal

• Explore the implications of migrating DAFDA to target .NET Core (preferably current LTS, e.g., .NET 6 or 8), or future .NET versions.
• Document potential challenges and necessary breaking changes, if any.
• Evaluate whether multi-targeting is still needed for any legacy scenarios.

Rationale

• Ecosystem has moved and .NET Framework support is rarely required, if ever.
• Enables modern language features, improved performance, and security.
• Simplifies maintenance and encourages further contributions.

Next Steps

• Assess who (if anyone) still needs .NET Standard in this library.
• Gather feedback from the community.
• Formulate a concrete migration path.

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Feedback and opinions welcome!