What is .NET?

This blog is merely an attempt to help you understand the .NET Framework. It will not cover in detail how to use the framework or what is contained within the framework. It will provide links to locations that will provide this needed detailed information.

 

To understand the history of .Net we need to understand how Windows operates. To utilize the classes within windows (pre-.Net) the programmer would need to access Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). These would allow the programmer to access specific classes that were designed to interact with the Microsoft Windows Operating System.

 

An example would be that the developer would need to access a CD-ROM from the CD-ROM Drive. The developer would first reference an API wrapper in the application and then provide coding that would access the drive. The beauty of this method, back then, was the developer didn't have to know how to create code that would directly interact with the mechanical and electronics of the drive. All the developer needed to know was how to initiate the API for accessing the drive, what the API would return as a result (success/fail of accessing, information about the drive, information contained on the CD, etc), and then the developer needed to know how to handle these results.

 

Now all of this sounds simple when you look at the overview of what needs to happen; unfortunately, in practice it was not as simple as it is today. The largest problem the developer would face was learning all the arguments needed; the exact location of the desired classes to instantiate, and many other problems. Microsoft had attempted to increase the ease of the development methods by introducing COM, GDI, and many other things. This was Microsoft's beginning to implement OOP concepts (For more information on OOP, see our earlier blog, "What is Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and why do you need it?").

 

To lessen the burden on the developer, increase the ease of software developing, and to increase the power of the applications developed, .NET Framework was created. .NET Framework had initially started as 1.0.

 

.NET Framework is essentially a large collection of classes that are, or can be used, in conjunction with the Microsoft Windows Operating System. Some of the classes contained in the framework are: Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO, Microsoft.WindowsMobile.DirectX.Direct3D, System.Collections, System.Collections.Generics, System.Data, System.Data.SQL, System.Data.Design, System.Security. The complete list is exhaustive; and the previously mentioned framework classes are a small sample of what you could find. You will want to visit the .NET Framework Class Library Reference website to see a complete listing.

 

.NET Framework is a collection of components. It models the method(s) in which an application can operate with the Operating System. The core of the framework is the Common Language Runtime (CLR) model. This model's principal concept is that it uses 'managed' methods to interact with code and data. Managed Coded and Data provide a safer method of application programming. Some other components within the .NET Framework are: Base Class Library (BCL), Metadata/Intermediate Language (MIL), Common Type System. These are just some of the models and is merely an introduction to the .NET Framework. You can visit the .NET Framework Developer Center to find further information on how the framework is placed together, why it is there and especially how to leverage its current technologies.

 

By visiting the .NET Framework Developer Center you will be able to access a huge amount of information; in particular whenever you run across a section that shall cover the "best practices" for a subject, you should immediately bookmark it. These "best practices" sections will help to eliminate bugs, increase productivity, increase reliability, and most importantly increase the security of your application!

 

A thought that should constantly be kept in the back of your mind is that the .NET Framework is very robust; because of the robustness it is always being improved upon and new versions are being developed. .NET 2.0 is currently the framework in active use (at the time of this writing); however, .NET 3.0 has been officially released and will shortly become the main stream framework with the production of applications that will utilize the power and security of the newer technologies found in Windows Vista Operating System.

 

The one thing this blog is attempting to do is to help you understand that the .NET Framework is integral to programming regardless of using any of the .NET programming languages ( i.e. Visual Basic.NET, Visual C#.NET, etc). You don't need to have a thorough knowledge of the subject, but you will eventually need some basic understanding of the concepts and how to use it.