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Here are a few breaking changes that I ran into today during the upgrade process.

Project.csproj

In the project.csproj file, the C# target location is no longer hardcoded.

Old: <Import Project=”$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\WindowsXaml\v1.0\Microsoft.Windows.UI.Xaml.CSharp.targets” />

New: <Import Project=”$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\WindowsXaml\v$(VisualStudioVersion)\Microsoft.Windows.UI.Xaml.CSharp.targets” />

IValueConverter

The IValueConverter methods now accept Types (rather than strings) for the target type.

Old:

public object Convert(object value, String typeTarget, object parameter, String culture)

public object  ConvertBack(object value, String typeTarget, object parameter, String culture)

New:

public object Convert(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, string language)

public object ConvertBack(object value, Type targetType, object parameter, string language)

INotifyPropertyChanged

INotifyPropertyChanged moved to System.ComponentModel.

Dependency Properties

Dependency Properties now accept Type (instead of strings) for the Register and RegisterAttached methods.

ApplicationBar

ApplicationBar has been renamed to AppBar.

ApplicationLayout

ApplicationLayout and ApplicationLayoutState classes have been renamed to ApplicationView and ApplicationViewState.

JSON

JSON classes have been refactored for cleaner and simpler usage.

Old: JsonObject object = new JsonObject(response);

New: JsonObject object = JsonObject.Parse(response);

There is a detailed guide for migrating Windows 8 Developer Preview code to Consumer Preview at http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winappswithcsharp/thread/4e0bb840-2348-4db3-a2eb-03484902e124.

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview has released today!

You can download and learn more about the latest version at the official Blog. The direct ISO download link is http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/iso. Microsoft Visual Studio 11 Express Beta can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516.aspx.

I installed Windows 8 Consumer Preview on the BUILD Samsung Developer Tablet and the Dell Studio 17 laptop.

Updating the BUILD Tablet to Windows 8 Consumer Preview

1. Download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO file from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/iso. Don’t forget to write down the Product Key.
2. Download the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool from Microsoft Online Store.
   
3. On the Windows 7 box, install the USB/DVD download tool. Run the tool and select the downloaded ISO file. Click Next and choose the media type (usb or dvd). I chose USB to store the backup on the USB that I got at the Microsoft BUILD conference.
4. Place the USB in the Build Tablet and click the Setup.exe file. Enter the product key from the ISO Download page (above).
5. You can continue through the setup process to save your personal files and perform disk cleanup. To install Windows 8 Consumer Preview you will need 20GB of free space.  Once you have enough disk space, you are ready to install.
   
6. The install process took about 15 minutes to install on the tablet followed by a long restart process.
   
7. You can now personalize your settings starting from the Background color and PC name.  The next screen allows you to setup the Wireless settings.
   
8. The next screen gives you an option to either use Express Settings, which has pre-defined settings or Customize Settings.
   
9. The final screen allows you to connect to your Microsoft account, which you may have used for the Windows 8 Developer Preview.  After you fill out the form, you are greeted with the Finalizing screen!
   
10. Welcome to Windows 8 Consumer Preview!
    

Updating the Dell Studio 17 to Windows 8 Consumer Preview

This process was about the same as above except I did a fresh install of Windows 8 Consumer Preview by booting to the USB drive.

Silverlight 5 is now online!  This version was first announced at a Firestarter Event last December.  You can download the Silverlight 5 Tools and Toolkit from the following links.

http://www.silverlight.net/learn/overview/what’s-new-in-silverlight-5

http://silverlight.codeplex.com/releases/view/78435

The Silverlight 3D Visual Studio templates are still using the RC version.  3D applications must run in OOB (Out of Browser) with Elevated Permissions.

I have updated my demos and tutorials (source code) to the latest version of Silverlight 5.

http://silverlight.bayprince.com/demos.php

http://silverlight.bayprince.com/tutorials.php