Runtime: Multi-version .NET Core Installer

[wangkanai]

Please make a .NET Core Installer that you can install multiple version of the SDK and/or runtimes like the same way you manage with Visual Studio Installer.

I have create a markup concept.

Reference to Visual Studio Installer

[danmosemsft]

@wangkanai interesting. Can you say a little more about why you need this? Would this be only for developer machines?

[wangkanai]

@danmosemsft Well maintaining version of dotnet with [major].[minor].[patch] is cumbersome. Just to make sure that i have only the major and minor release installed on my machine and to reduce the disk space. each install is already almost 200MB. In your release version [major] and [minor] would get features, while [patch] would get fixes. Also I see that the [patch] is made up of 3 digits.

XXX [patch]
X-- related to Visual Studio [minor] version release
-XX related to patch fixed

This can also work for installing the runtime as well. Just look at your current rumtime list right now.

• ASP.NET Core Runtime
• Desktop Runtime
• .NET Core Runtime

Also when you look at the list of runtime versions of that you need to maintain for list a hosting. Even for the desktop runtime that in the future that .NET Core will be come the replace for all as .NET 5 or later.

Example of maintaining shared runtime installation in the computer.

I hope i have written it better to understanding the need for such a central version install command center.

I also update the with the support status from .NET Core download to make it clear for the operator to keep up to date on their machine.

[Symbai]

Do not make such an installer for runtime versions. Consumers have no idea what kind of runtime and which version they need. If you give them too many options to choose they end up picking the wrong version. That's why the download page has been changed (thanks for that, once again).

For SDKs as far as I know all minor version will replace the currently installed. While all major will be installed side by side (see https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/6896#issuecomment-474487373).

If you are a developer you likely already get the latest .NET Core SDK by having your VS up to date. Otherwise subscribe to the developer blog or setup a script to run every day (see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/tools/dotnet-install-script#examples)

Regarding uninstallation of old versions please see:
https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/issues/2295#issuecomment-495349666
https://www.hanselman.com/blog/ScriptsToRemoveOldNETCoreSDKs.aspx

However perhaps the VS Installer could get a new tab for all kind of runtimes / SDKs only for a better convenience for developers to keep track with that. But for consumers: Just no.

[NikolaMilosavljevic]

CC @KathleenDollard and Namrata

[NikolaMilosavljevic]

CC @nakarnam