.NET

.NET technology was introduced by Microsoft. It is a platform neutral framework, a layer between the operating system and the programming language. It supports many programming languages, including VB.NET, C# etc. .NET provides a common set of class libraries, which can be accessed from any .NET based programming language. There will not be separate set of classes and libraries for each language.

The Microsoft .NET Framework is a software technology that is available with several Microsoft Windows operating systems. It includes a large library of pre-coded solutions to common programming problems and a virtual machine that manages the execution of programs written specifically for the framework. The .NET Framework is a key Microsoft offering and is intended to be used by most new applications created for the Windows platform.

The pre-coded solutions that form the framework's Base Class Library cover a large range of programming needs in a number of areas, including user interface,data access, database connectivity, cryptography, web application development, numeric algorithms, and network communications. The class library is used by programmers, who combine it with their own code to produce applications. .NET framework is a Windows Component that supports the building and running of windows applications and XML Web services. The purpose of the component is to provide the user with a consistent object oriented programming environment whether the code is stored locally or remotely.The .NET framework has two major components -> The Common Runtime (CLR) and the Class Library.

The CLR is the foundation upon which the .NET Framework has been built. The runtime manages code at execution time and provides all the core services such as memory management, thread management and remoting. It also enforces strict type safety and ensures code accuracy in order to provide security and robustness to the applications. This capability to manage code at runtime is the distinguishing feature of the CLR. All code that is managed by the CLR is known as managed code while other codes are known as unmanaged code. CLR Features :

  • CLR manages memory, thread execution, code execution, compilation code safety verification and other system services.
  • For security reasons, managed code is assigned varying degrees of trust based on origin. This prevents or allows the managed component from performing file access operations, registry access operations or other sensitive functions even within the same active application.
  • The Runtime enforces code robustness by implementing strict type and code verification infrastructure called Common type System (CTS). The CTS ensures that all managed code is self describing and all Microsoft or third party language compiler generated codes conform to CTS. This enables the managed code to consume other managed types and enforce strict type fidelity and type safety.
  • CLR eliminates many common software issues like handling of object layout, references to objects and garbage clearance. This type of memory management prevents memory leaks and invalid memory references.
  • The CLR also accelerates developer productivity. The programmer is free to choose the language of the application without worrying about compatibility and integration issues. He is also enabled to take advantage of the runtime and the class library of the .NET Framework and also harvest components from other applications written in different languages by different developers. This implicitly eases the process of migration.
  • Though CLR aims to be futuristic software, it lends support to existing applications. The interoperability between the managed and unmanaged codes makes this process extremely simple.
  • The design of the CLR is geared towards enhancing performance. The Just-in-time (JIT) compiling enables managed code to run in the native machine language of the system executing it. During the process the memory manager removes the possibilities of fragmented memory and increases memory locality-of-reference to enhance performance.
  • Finally, server side applications can host runtime. High performance servers like Microsoft SQL Server and Internet Information Services can host this CLR and the infrastructure so provided can be used to write business logic while enjoying the best benefits of enterprise server support.

The Class Library is an object oriented collection of reusable types. It is comprehensive and the types can be used to develop command line applications or GUI applications such as Web forms or XML Web services. Unmanaged components that load CLR into their processes can be hosted by the .NET Framework to initiate the execution of managed code. This creates a software environment that exploits both the managed and unmanaged codes. The.NET Framework also provides a number of runtime hosts and supports third party runtime hosts. Class Library Features :

  • The class library is a collection of reusable types that integrate with the CLR.
  • It is object oriented and provides types from which user defined types can derive functionality. This makes for ease of use and is time saving.
  • Third party components can be integrated seamlessly with classes in the .NET framework.
  • It enables a range of common programming tasks such as string management, data collection and file access.
  • It supports a variety of specialized development scenarios such as console application development, Windows GUI applications, ASP.NET Applications, XML Web services.

Version 3.0 of the .NET Framework is included with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. The current version of the framework can also be installed on Windows XP and the Windows Server 2003 family of operating systems. A reduced "Compact" version of the .NET Framework is also available on Windows Mobile platforms, including Smartphones.



The Microsoft. NET strategy was presented by Microsoft officials to the rest of the world in June 2000 :


  • .NET is Microsoft's new Internet and Web strategy

  • .NET is NOT a new operating system

  • .NET is a new Internet and Web based infrastructure

  • .NET delivers software as Web Services

  • .NET is a framework for universal services

  • .NET is a server centric computing model

  • .NET will run in any browser on any platform

  • .NET is based on the newest Web standards

.NET is built on the following Internet standards :


  • HTTP, the communication protocol between Internet Applications

  • XML, the format for exchanging data between Internet Applications

  • SOAP, the standard format for requesting Web Services

  • UDDI, the standard to search and discover Web Services

.NET Framework :


  • The .NET Framework is the infrastructure for the new Microsoft .NET Platform.

  • The .NET Framework is a common environment for building, deploying, and running Web Services and Web Applications.

  • The .NET Framework contains common class libraries - like ADO.NET, ASP.NET and Windows Forms - to provide advanced standard services that can be integrated into a variety of computer systems.

  • The .NET Framework is language neutral. Currently it supports C++, C#, Visual Basic, JScript (The Microsoft version of JavaScript) and COBOL. Third-party languages - like Eiffel, Perl, Python, Smalltalk, and others - will also be available for building future .NET Framework applications.

  • The new Visual Studio.NET is a common development environment for the new .NET Framework. It provides a feature-rich application execution environment,simplified development and easy integration between a number of different development languages.