Microsoft® .NET is a set of Microsoft® technologies for connecting your world of information, people, systems, and devices. It enables an unprecedented level of software integration through the use of XML Web services; small, discrete, building-block applications that connect to each other-as well as to other, larger applications-via the Internet.

Microsoft® .NET is a really PLATFORM. It's a set of associate technologies, standards, APIs etc. These are based on a unified environment named CLR (Common Language Runtime) and language independent class libraries.

If you decide on the Microsoft® .NET platform you get the following features:

• The .NET Framework programming model. This enables developers to build Web-based applications, smart client applications, and XML Web services applications, which expose their functionality programmatically over a network using standard protocols such as SOAP and HTTP.
• Developer tools, such as:
  • Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET. This provides a rapid application integrated development environment for programming with the .NET Framework.
  • A set of servers, including Microsoft Windows® 2000, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft BizTalk® Server, that integrates, runs, operates, and manages XML Web services and applications.
• Client software, such as Windows XP, Windows CE, and Microsoft Office XP, that helps developers deliver a deep and compelling user experience across a family of devices and existing products.

What is the .NET Framework?

The .NET Framework is the programming model of the .NET environment for building, deploying, and running Web-based applications, smart client applications, and XML Web services. It manages much of the plumbing, enabling developers to focus on writing the business logic code for their applications. The .NET Framework includes the common language runtime (CLR) and class libraries.

Common Language Runtime (CLR)

The common language runtime is responsible for run time services such as language integration, security enforcement, memory, process, and thread management.

In addition, it has a role at development time when features such as life-cycle management, strong type naming, cross-language exception handling, dynamic binding, and so on, reduce the amount of code that a developer must write to turn business logic into a reusable component.

Class Libraries

Base classes provide standard functionality such as input/output, string manipulation, security management, network communications, thread management, text management, user interface design features, and other functions.

The Microsoft® ADO.NET data classes support persistent data management and include SQL classes for manipulating persistent data stores through a standard SQL interface.

XML classes enable XML data manipulation and XML searching and translations.

The Microsoft® ASP.NET classes support the development of Web-based applications and XML Web services.

The Windows Forms classes support the development of Windows-based smart client applications. Together, the class libraries provide a common, consistent development interface across ALL languages supported by the .NET Framework.

Currently there are 4 supporting languages including:

• C#,
• VB.NET,
• C++ (managed/unmanaged),
• ASP.NET

All of these allow developers to create standard application modules. These modules may be easy used from ANY programming language that supports the CLR specification. You can re-use your components developed on VB.NET (or C#, or...) with no additional development or cost.
Another benefit of the .NET platform is its high compatibility with legacy Win32 applications. You do not need to redevelop your old Win32 libraries and COM object collections. They may be accessed directly from .NET applications.

The following languages have announced that they will support the .NET framework. They do NOT include Centura or Gupta Team developer!

APL	C++	C#	COBOL
Component Pascal	Curriculum	Eiffel	Fortran
Haskell	Java Language	Microsoft JScript®	Mercury
Mondrian	Oberon	Oz	Pascal
Perl	Python	RPG	Scheme
SmallTalk	Standard ML	Microsoft Visual Basic®

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