Microsoft released .NET 6 today, and this may be the first version of the newer .NET platform that really feels like the destination instead of another step along the way.

I have been working with the .NET Framework for a long time and have watched .NET Core evolve from something interesting into something I could actually see using for most new development.

.NET 6 feels different.

Microsoft is now talking about .NET as one platform for building web applications, services, desktop applications, cloud applications and more. The distinction between the old .NET Framework world and the newer .NET Core world is starting to feel less important.

.NET 6 is also a Long Term Support release, which matters to me for applications that are going to be around for a while.

There are plenty of new features to dig into, including C# 10, improvements to ASP.NET Core, performance work across the runtime, and continued investment in running .NET across Windows, Linux and macOS.

I am not going to rush out and rewrite every existing .NET Framework application, but for new development I think the decision is getting pretty easy.

After several years of watching this transition happen, .NET 6 feels like the version I have been waiting for.