title: Is LINQ to SQL deprecated?
body: <p>Back in late 2008 there was a lot of debate about the future of LINQ to SQL.  Many suggested that Microsoft's investments in the Entity Framework in .NET 4.0 were a sign that LINQ to SQL had no future.  I figured I'd wait before making my own decision since folks were not in agreement.</p>
  
  <p>Fast-forward 18 months and I've got vendors providing solutions that rely on LINQ to SQL and I have personally given it a try and really enjoyed working with it.  I figured it was here to stay.</p>
  
  <p>But I'm reading a new book (C# 4.0 How-To by Ben Watson) and in chapter 21 (LINQ), he suggests that it "has been more or less deprecated by Microsoft" and suggests using LINQ to Entity Framework.</p>
  
  <p>My question to you is whether or not LINQ to SQL is officially deprecated and/or if authoritative entities (Microsoft, Scott Gu, etc.) officially suggest using LINQ to Entities instead of LINQ to SQL.</p>