While at Mix09 Geoffrey Emery talked to Angus Logan and James Senior about New Improvements to Live Messenger, In the second part of the interview we dive into what is new in the live framework. Its amazing at how much stuff these guys have going on. Sometimes it makes my head spin. In this interview we also get into what the difference between live sync and Live mesh.

What’s New in this Release

This update includes:

• Support for side-by-side installation of the www.mesh.com local client and the developer.mesh-ctp.com local client. This means that you can use the production Mesh.com to sync data across all your devices, and develop applications for the Mesh Developer Sandbox that uses the local client—all on the same machine. For instructions on setting up side-by-side, please see this forum post.
• Support for Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8
• Single installer for the Live Framework SDK and the Live Framework Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio.
• Resource Scripts are now supported in Silverlight applications and with the local Live Operating Environment
• Public availability of the SDK and Tools on the Microsoft.com Download Center.
• Improved stability in the client and the cloud Live Operating Environment.
• Design and performance improvements to the API toolkits
• Simplified workflow for setting up an account and a Live Framework project on the Azure Developer Portal.

The Live Framework SDK and Tools April CTP has just been launched!  Not really sure why they launched mid-March and called it an April CTP – but hey, I’m not complaining when you get:

• All-in-one installer (like a multivitamin – lots of goodness in one capsule)
• Support for Win7 and IE8 (satisfies even the most demanding dogfooder)
• Side-by-side installation of Live Framework CTP and Live Mesh Beta (now be a consumer and dev – all at the same time!)
• Performance Improvements (we’re super slick, just like Win7)
• and more

For the full announcement

Live Framework Explorer (LFE) is an addin for Visual Studio 2008 that makes it much easier to browse the contents and data inside a user's Live Framework Resource Model.

http://www.codeplex.com/lfe