Inclusion in .NET Framework
Q: Will Sync Services or SQL Server Compact Edition be in the .NET Framework, or .NET Compact Framework?
A: No, we are not shipping within either framework, but rather shipping as an add-on component. Why? Because we wanted more flexibility with our ship schedule. SQLce will ship 2-3 times between .NET 2.0 and .NET 3.5. While it would be nice to ride the distribution of the frameworks, with the embedded/private deployment options of SQLce and Sync Services, we felt it was better to have more flexibility with our schedule.
[Source: Steve Lasker's FAQ Post]