What You Need

In order to run WPF, you need to have at least .NET Framework 3.0 installed. If you want to just explore XAML, you can use a free utility such as Kaxaml. For more serious development, you'll want to look into Visual Studio 2008 or Visual Studio 2005, the full versions or the express editions.

Runtimes

WPF was released as part of the .NET 3.0 runtime. You may also want to download the .NET 3.5 runtime, which also has been officially released.

• .NET Framework 3.0 Redistributable Package
• .NET Framework 3.5

Visual Studio 2008

Visual Studio 2008 natively supports WPF. The Express editions of Visual Studio are free, limited versions of Visual Studio targeted at hobbyist and beginner programmers.

• Visual C# 2008 Express
• Visual Basic 2008 Express

Full versions and updates of Visual Studio 2008 can also be purchased at Amazon.com:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 Development Edition
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Suite

Visual Studio 2005

If you are a Visual Studio 2005 developer, and are not ready to upgrade to Visual Studio 2008, then you can download an add-on to enable WPF development in Visual Studio 2005:

• Visual Studio 2005 Extensions for .NET Framework 3.0 (WCF & WPF)