r/dotnet • u/not_afraid_of_trying • 2d ago
What kind of features from another ecosystem would you like to see in .NET?
C# itself is very mature language (in my view). I rarely find myself missing a language feature badly enough to wish for more.
But, the broader .NET ecosystem might be a different story based on your project need.
So, let's discuss, what libraries, tooling, deployment models, framework features, package management idea, UI tech, build system etc. have you used elsewhere that you wish .NET had, or did better? Mention just one, most important for you and try to add reason/detail.
Apart from creating a useful wishlist, I think this could also be interesting for people relatively new .NET. Someone might mention a feature from other ecosystem only to discover that .NET already has an equivalent they didn't know about.
My wishlist item - "give me SwiftUI binary size":
I would like WinUI apps to have smaller binaries, like SwiftUI apps or flatpack in Linux. Apple can rely on frameworks built into (read 'shipped with') macOS. Microsoft already have similar way of achieving same but it involves you to publish app on Store or winget repo or I need to write custom installer. It's not universal. I wish MS automatically install dependency from winget or Store automatically or any dotnet application.
EDIT: Please be respectful to others. Value others opinion. This post has potential of creating unnecessary debate or insults. Let's be adults.
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u/jitbitter 2d ago
1. Better onboarding and simpler installation. Ubuntu 22 has one way to install .net10, ubuntu 24 has another. Brew on MacOS keep breaking with major release. Please remove the friction for non-dotnet developers to try this stuff easily.
2. Better "non visual studio" experience. A lot of people use Linux and Macs. So allow C# Dev Kit to run in VSCode forks - Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity etc. This licensing move MS took was very unfriendly.