.NET Core 8 Migration - GROUP.NET Team

[Mohamedabdou22]

SICVM - .NET Core 8 Migration

Team: GROUP.NET

• Mohamed Abdou (@Mohamedabdou22)
• Dylan Trenck (@DylanTrenck)
• Matt Boz (@matt-boz)

Enhancement: Platform Modernization

This project migrates the SIC Virtual Machine from .NET Framework 4.7.2 to .NET Core 8, modernizing the entire platform for better performance, cross-platform compatibility, and long-term maintainability.

Individual Contributions

Mohamed Abdou:

• Migrated project file to .NET 8
• Updated deprecated Windows Forms APIs (ContextMenu → ContextMenuStrip, MenuItem → ToolStripMenuItem)
• Removed SOAP serialization (to be replaced with JSON in future)
• Fixed all 15 compatibility errors
• 3 commits, 242 additions, 226 deletions

Dylan Trenck:

• GUI testing and validation
• User interface verification

Matt Boz:

• Unit testing
• Test suite maintenance

Changes Made

• ✅ Migrated .csproj from .NET Framework 4.7.2 to .NET 8
• ✅ Updated deprecated Windows Forms APIs
• ✅ Removed SOAP serialization (commented out for now)
• ✅ Cleaned up unused imports in SIC_Device.cs
• ✅ Resolved all build errors (15 → 0)

Technical Details

Before:

• Platform: .NET Framework 4.7.2 (2018)
• Build Errors: 15
• Status: Outdated, Windows-only
• Menu System: ContextMenu/MenuItem (deprecated)

After:

• Platform: .NET Core 8 (2024)
• Build Errors: 0
• Status: Modern, cross-platform compatible
• Menu System: ContextMenuStrip/ToolStripMenuItem (current)

Key Technical Changes

// Before (Old API)
ContextMenu ct = new ContextMenu();
MenuItem item = new MenuItem("Text");
ct.MenuItems.Add(item);

// After (New API)
ContextMenuStrip ct = new ContextMenuStrip();
ToolStripMenuItem item = new ToolStripMenuItem("Text");
ct.Items.Add(item);

Testing Status

• ✅ Project builds with 0 errors
• ✅ Application launches successfully
• ✅ All menus functional
• ⏳ GUI testing in progress (Dylan)
• ⏳ Unit testing in progress (Matt)

Running the Application

Prerequisites:

• .NET 8 SDK: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download

Option 1 - Visual Studio:

1. Open SIC Simulator.sln
2. Press F5 to run

Option 2 - Command Line:

cd "SIC Simulator"
dotnet run

Benefits of This Migration

• ✅ Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• ✅ Modern API support and latest C# features
• ✅ Better performance and memory management
• ✅ Long-term maintainability and support
• ✅ Active security updates (Framework 4.7.2 is end-of-life)
• ✅ Future-ready for additional enhancements

Known Issues / Future Work

• SOAP serialization temporarily disabled (will be replaced with JSON)
• Unit test project needs .NET 8 compatibility updates (in progress)

Presentation

This migration will be presented to the class on December 3rd, 2025.

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@DylanTrenck @matt-boz - Please review and approve when you get a chance! 💪

All commits visible here: https://github.com/ScottPiersall/SICVM/commits/GROUP.NET