DotNetNuke has announced general availability of its DNN 7.0 release. The web content management system (CMS) and platform for Microsoft .NET has augmentations of potential interest to web application developers with its organized control panel that allows users to bookmark frequently used controls, as well as to drag-and-drop modules onto a page.

Web developers can build and expose secure web services through the DNN Services Framework, which is now based on Microsoft's web API. Data access has been simplified through the introduction of a micro-ORM and this should allow for simpler database interactions with less code.

Developers are also pointed to ASP.NET Razor, which is now optimized for developing dynamic extensions, combining code and content in a fluid and expressive manner.

The included jQuery, jQueryUI, and Knockout.js libraries are designed to make it easier for developers to consume web services and create client-side applications. The newest release has graduated to ASP.NET 4.0 as its baseline platform requirement but is also fully compatible with latest-generation Microsoft technology including Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, IIS8, ASP.NET 4.5, Visual Studio 2012, and SQL Server 2012.

"With DNN 7.0, we are providing a user interface and user experience that we believe will make using DotNetNuke more intuitive and approachable. At the same time, we have upgraded the platform to provide site designers and application developers with our most modern and advanced development platform to date," said Shaun Walker, co-founder and CTO of DotNetNuke.