Backward compatibility

Is Microsoft .NET framework backward compatible?
I created an application using .NET framework 2.0. If I install just .NET framework 3.5 from www.microsoft.com/net, will the application work?

Thanks.

No. You need to have .Net 2.0 on your system.

Thanks for the information. But why is it so?

I think that there should be backward compatibility between 3.5 and 2.0. IL is the same and even if you use strong names, you can use binding redirect. So I cannot see an obstracle.

But maybe I'm wrong, I'm not sure now. So take this as a subject to the disscusion.

Generally: if you have doubts, just try it.

i have read introduction of .net framework, some marketing personels write a lot about it, if your experiement can prove the backward compatibility, then clap your hands to support ms, if yours can not, you can agree with me that its words are all lies.
if you just downlod and run the program, without doing anything else, i am sure it works