What exactly is NET framework and do I need it?

[Charlie98]

OK, I'm not that computer savvy as far as software goes... I read the Wiki definition of the .NET framework stuff and it was pretty much all French to me.

Are there actually commonplace programs that use .NET or require it to run? ...or is this just a programmers utility?

I'm trying to clean out the unnecessary programs and utilities and free up some space...

 

[nickbits]

I say there is a 70% chance you have something that needs it.

AMD CCC is one thing off the top of my head.

It is basically shared code that developers use to write programs. It it not a programmers utility in the sense you are thinking visual studio is the "programmer's utility"

 

[owensdj]

Yes there are some commonplace programs that use the .NET Framework. You definitely don't want to uninstall any version of it because you might have a program that needs it.

 

[Charlie98]

I just updated to 4.5... which was what got me to thinking. I'll leave it alone.

 

[lxskllr]

Paint.NET is a great free program that uses it. It was the only .NET program I used, but that alone is worth the install.

http://www.getpaint.net/

 

[C1]

TurboTax requires it.

 

[Berryracer]

many programs I use need it like Driver Cleaner.net

 

[007ELmO]

Keep it

 

[spamhunter]

CDBurnerXP uses it and in any case you should not uninstall it.

 

[sm625]

It is epic bloatware from microsoft. Almost everything uses it.

 

[Bubbaleone]

Nice simple explanation from lifehacker: What Is the .NET Framework, and Why Do I Need It?

Excerpt

.NET is a programming framework created by Microsoft that developers can use to create applications more easily. As commenter dwroth aptly put it, "a framework is just a bunch of code that the programmer can call without having to write it explicitly."

.

 

[John Connor]

I'm an avid Flight Simulator enthusiast and many utilities and programs that I use to create airports, flightplans and ATC voice files require .net. One thing I found with .net is that it will mess with your logon screen.

 

[MountainKing]

There was a time when I remember people used to advice to avoid .net like the plague. Unfortunately, I cannot do away from it just as I cannot do away from java. Jdownloader needs it.

 

[thewhat]

The vast majority of programs don't need .NET and if you don't use any programs that need it you can safely disable/uninstall it.
It can also be re-enabled later, so it's not a big deal either way.

 

[007ELmO]

If you're trying to uninstall .NET to save room, you've got other problems. If it's running a background process, you definitely need it. If it's not, it's not taking much room up on your PC.

 

[biostud]

Isn't it the microsoft version of java?

 

[Mark R]

I'm an avid Flight Simulator enthusiast and many utilities and programs that I use to create airports, flightplans and ATC voice files require .net. One thing I found with .net is that it will mess with your logon screen.

.NET does not touch your logon screen. Even if installed, it does not even run by default in Windows.

It only loads when you run a program which needs it.

 

[SPARTAN VI]

I just updated to 4.5... which was what got me to thinking. I'll leave it alone.

I'd recommend .NET 4.0 over 4.5, simply because 4.5 cannot run side-by-side with earlier versions of .NET, which breaks legacy software. In the slow-moving business world, we hate 4.5.

 

[John Connor]

.NET does not touch your logon screen. Even if installed, it does not even run by default in Windows.

It only loads when you run a program which needs it.

Yeah, it does. I seen it happen. I had no password and the logon screen would promp me to click my user icon. After installing .Net the logon screen disappeared and just loged me in. In fact in XP you will see .Net as a user account. I just delete it.

http://forums.asp.net/t/758994.aspx/1

 

[Mark R]

I'd recommend .NET 4.0 over 4.5, simply because 4.5 cannot run side-by-side with earlier versions of .NET, which breaks legacy software. In the slow-moving business world, we hate 4.5.

Unforutnately, 4.0 has lots of bugs, which are fixed in 4.5.

This is a HUGE problem for software developers using .NET for their products. 4.5 is not available on Windows XP, and 4.0 is not available on Win 8, and is replaced by 4.5 automatically by windows update on vista/7.

For developers with customers still using XP, this is a big problem, as the programs will act differently on an XP machine in .NET 4.0 mode, then they will on their programming workstation in .NET 4.0 mode.

I was recently looking to buy a very expensive business application, and one vendor had at the top of their feature list in the brochure "Absolutely no 3rd party components or frameworks. 100% Java free, 100% .NET free". I scoffed at the time, being a part-time developer myself... until I saw what MS had done with .NET 4.0/4.5 and that's when I realised, that using .NET in the future may not be viable if I'm developing software that may need 10 years of support.

 

[007ELmO]

the damn clients need to start upgrading their OS. What networking team do they have to allow PCs running XP? Their hardware can support more.

 

[beginner99]

Isn't it the microsoft version of java?

yes. I mean it is what MS always does. Copies the competitor and comes a couple years late to the party.

 

[Broheim]

Isn't it the microsoft version of java?

sort of, .NET CLR (common language runtime) is Microsofts competitor to the JVM (java virtual machine), on the windows side of things it's superior due to tighter integration with the OS, the JVM always ends up feeling disjointed.

yes. I mean it is what MS always does. Copies the competitor and comes a couple years late to the party.

but with a superior product... C# kicks java's ass.

plus, it's not like java didn't copy "the competitor" either, back when it first got started out.

 

[us3rnotfound]

Yeah, it does. I seen it happen. I had no password and the logon screen would promp me to click my user icon. After installing .Net the logon screen disappeared and just loged me in. In fact in XP you will see .Net as a user account. I just delete it.

http://forums.asp.net/t/758994.aspx/1

It created another Windows user account called ASP.net. Delete said user, and your Windows box will resume its normal login behavior that you like better.

 

[John Connor]

The problem is in Win 7 it doesn't show up in the user accounts only in XP.