Microsoft .NET is software that connects information, people,
systems, and devices. It spans clients, servers, and developer tools, and consists
of:
The .NET Framework , used for building and running
all kinds of software, including Web-based applications, smart client applications,
and XML Web services—components that facilitate integration by sharing
data and functionality over a network through standard, platform-independent
protocols such as XML (Extensible Markup Language), SOAP, and HTTP.
Developer tools, such as Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
2003 which provides an integrated development environment (IDE) for maximizing
developer productivity with the .NET Framework.
A set of servers, including Microsoft Windows Server
2003, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft BizTalk Server, that integrates,
runs, operates, and manages Web services and Web-based 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.
.Net is a new and powerful technology for creating dynamic
web pages. However, as you know, it isn’t the only way to deliver dynamic
web pages, so let’s refine our definition a little: “A new and
powerful server side technology for creating dynamic web pages that lets
you use any fully-fledged programming language supported by .NET”
One of the principal features of .Net’s model is
the flexibility to choose our programming language. ASP.NET works with scripted
languages such as VBScript, JScript, Perlscript, and Python, as well as compiled
languages such as VB, C#, C, Cobol, Smalltalk, and Lisp. The new framework uses
the common language runtime (CLR); our language source is compiled into Microsoft
Intermediate Language code, which the CLR then executes.
The .NET Framework is an integral Microsoft Windows component
for building and running the next generation of software applications and Extensible
Markup Language (XML) Web services—components that facilitate integration
by sharing data and functionality over the network through standard, platform-independent
protocols such as XML, SOAP, and HTTP.
The .NET Framework provides:
A highly productive, standards-based environment
for integrating existing investments with next-generation applications and
services.
The agility to solve the challenges of deployment
and operation of enterprise-scale applications.
The .NET Framework consists of two main parts: the common
language runtime (CLR) and a unified set of class libraries, including ASP.NET
for Web applications and Web services, Windows Forms for smart client applications,
and ADO.NET for loosely coupled data access.
The framework also provides for true object-oriented programming (OOP), and
true inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation are supported. The .NET class
library is organized into inheritable classes based around particular tasks,
such as working with XML or image manipulation.
We can break down our discussion of the .NET Framework into a few topics:
MS Intermediate Language (MSIL) – all
the code we write is compiled into a more abstract, trimmed-down form before
it’s executed. Wichever .NET language is used to write the code, the
Trimmed code that’s created from it is defined using MSIL: the Common
Language of .NET.
The Common Language Runtime (CLR) – this
is a complex system responsible for executing the MSIL code on the computer.
It takes care of all the nitty-gritty tasks involved in talking to Windows
and IIS.
The .NET Framework Class Libraries – these
are code libraries containing a mass of tremendously useful functionality,
which we can very easily bolt into our own applications to make complex tasks
much more straightforward.
The .NET Languages – these are simply
programming languages that conform to certain specific structural requirements
(as defined by the Common Language Specification), and can therefore be compiled
to MSIL. You can develop in any of the languages, such as C# or VB.NET, without
any restrictions, and make programs constructed out of several of these languages.
ASP.NET – this is how the .NET Framework
exposes itself to the web, using IIS to manage simple pages of code so that
they can be compiled into full .NET programs. These are then used to generate
HTML that can be sent out to browsers.
Web Services – although not strictly part
of .NET, web services are definitely enabled by .NET. They are components
that can be accessed via the Web, and can be anything from news headlines,
weather forecasts, and stock tickers to virus protection and operating system
updates.
