Microsoft has released the first preview of .NET Core 2.0, an event that is eagerly anticipated as it brings with it support for .NET Standard 2.0. This is a big change as it increases the number of APIs available to .NET Core Developers, over 20,000 more than what was available in .NET Core 1. By adhering to the .NET Standard, developers are able to more easily use their code across the various .NET compatible platfoms: the traditional .NET Framework, .NET Core, and Xamarin.
Developers working on Linux should be happy to see that .NET Core 2 now treats Linux as a single platform, rather than requiring developers to target 1 or more specific Linux distributions. However, you will still need to download a distribution specific (DEB, RPM, etc.) installer for .NET Core 2 Preview as that aspect does not change. Mac developers should find it easier to get started with .NET Core 2 as it no longer requires OpenSSL to be installed; native Apple crypto libraries are used instead.
Visual Basic is now supported
Many Visual Basic developers were dismayed by the lack of support for VB in .NET Core 1. This all changes with .NET Core 2, as Visual Basic support is added. VB developers can write console applications and class libraries for .NET Core and .NET Standard.
How to use the .NET Core 2.0 Preview
Visual Studio 2017 will continue to use .NET Core 1.X by default and for now the easiest way to use .NET Core 2 is to install its 15.3 preview release and the .NET Core 2 Preview SDK. Full release notes are available on GitHub.