dotnet new console, publish, makes a dll not an exe

C:\PLAy\asdf>dotnet --version
2.0.0-preview1-005694

C:\PLAy\asdf>dotnet new console
The template "Console Application" was created successfully.

C:\PLAy\asdf>dotnet restore

...
C:\PLAy\asdf>dotnet run
Hello World!

C:\PLAy\asdf>dotnet publish
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 15.2.47.30403
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

  asdf -> C:\PLAy\asdf\bin\Debug\netcoreapp2.0\asdf.dll

Shouldn’t I have a console .exe? How do I run this dll?

[danmoseley]

Can we reduce the confusion somehow? I work on .NET Core and I was confused.

1. <OutputType>Exe</OutputType> reads exe but does not correspond to an exe. That’s clearly confusing. Are we really out of options due to back compat? Why?
2. Console Application is the name of the template. For 15 years in .NET that has meant an .exe. Can we call the template something else, that’s meaningful?

@terrajobst

[dasMulli]

.net core apps aren’t supposed to be “.exe” files as this is a windows concept. When a portable app is published, the resulting .dll is supposed to be run on the target platform through dotnet app.dll which will then use the platform-specific runtime.

In project.json, the property was emitEntryPoint: true. In csproj, <OutputType>Exe</..> has existed before and should rather be interpreted as Executable rather than .exe file…

Tooling already exists for OutputType, yet it would be more clear if there was <Runnable>true</..> (which would internally just set the output type).