Pro WPF in C# 2010: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 4

32.1. Choosing Between MAF and MEF

Before you can get started building an extensible application with add-ins, you need to deal with an unexpected headache. Namely, .NET doesn't have just one add-in framework; it has two.

.NET 3.5 introduced an add-in model called the Managed Add-in Framework (MAF). But to make matters even more interesting (and a whole lot more confusing), .NET 4 added a new model called the Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF). Developers, who had to roll their own add-in system not long ago, suddenly have two completely separate technologies that share the same ground. So, what's the difference?

MAF is the more robust framework of the two. It allows you to decouple your add-ins from your application so they depend on nothing ...