Getting started using Linq, what do I need?

Question

Basically what the title says. (Forgive me because I am a .NET newb)

In my department, we have a server running .net 3.5 and ever since I got into this section I have been using LINQ. However, I am starting a personal project on a different server (obviously), so 2 questions:

What do I need to get up and running with LINQ?

What does the server need to run LINQ?

Will .net 2.0 work on the server?

The code behind would be C# if that matters.

Edit: Would I have to compile it in 3.5 or would 2.0 work?

Answer 1

To get up and running, I would definitely recommend checking out LINQ in Action.

Your compiler needs to be .NET 3.5 framework. If you are copying over only compiled code, then you will not need 3.5 on your server, you only need it on your development machine. This can help if your server admin is unwilling to install the 3.5 framework on your server. However, if you are publishing source code, say to a development server to compile, then yes that server will need 3.5.

Once you have the 3.5 framework installed, you can run web apps either as 2.0 or 3.5. All you have to do is specify it in your Web.Config file.

If you are interested in working with LINQ to SQL and managing dbml files, you will need Visual Studio 2008. However, Visual Studio 2005 will still compile dbml files properly, given that you have the 3.5 framework installed.