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What's ".NET" all about?
- Thread starter Namuna
- Start date
StageLeft
No Lifer
.NET in the context you're probably referring to is microsoft's new (well it's been out of beta over a year now, so not that new I guess...) software environment. Whereas in the past if you wrote software using microsoft technologies you may combine things like visual basic and asp, now you have multiple .net languages, like vb.net, asp.net, C# (which is C.NET). All tap into the .net framework and are merely different ways of using it.
So, if you write something in vb.net or in C# you know that in both cases they both adhere to the common language specification, which is a big specification rulebook (stating things like variable types and what not), and this then allows them to run under the guidelines of the common language runtime. All of this I'm talking about is the ".NET framework".
Many languages have been written to adhere to the common language specification, and that in turn allows them to be called a .net language. A big benefit of this is theoretically ease of development in areas such as one application running on different platforms. Instead of writing based for different platforms .net will handle it for you - as long as your language adheres to the CLS.
So, if you write something in vb.net or in C# you know that in both cases they both adhere to the common language specification, which is a big specification rulebook (stating things like variable types and what not), and this then allows them to run under the guidelines of the common language runtime. All of this I'm talking about is the ".NET framework".
Many languages have been written to adhere to the common language specification, and that in turn allows them to be called a .net language. A big benefit of this is theoretically ease of development in areas such as one application running on different platforms. Instead of writing based for different platforms .net will handle it for you - as long as your language adheres to the CLS.
StageLeft
No Lifer
It's just one of the many .net languages! It has far more power than regular asp.net and, once you're good with it, should allow the developer greater flexibility for websites over regular asp.net (for instance it will automatically find out your browser type and display the page appropriate to that browser, instead of you manually writing code for that). Also it allows you to easily access VB.net or C# capabilities, since the actual asp.net code is no longer vbscript or javascript or whatever (though you can still use them), but the meat of the processing is done behind the page. In this sense the asp page is no longer a mess of user interface and code, but rather ideally it's all user interface on one layer, and the logic of the application at another (rather like an old Visual basic application is).
.NET is cool and a big step, but probably not what MS ultimately wants. From recent articles I've read, the .NET platform is going to undergo another big change. Idealy, MS wants to get rid of the web browser and have all applications run server to client without the need of a web browser. Evidence to back this up is the lack of IE upgrades and work the last year or two. .NET, while cool, still presents lots of problems and is somewhat hard for even some programmers to understand without extensive studying.
For now, though, .NET is a common runtime language that is built off standard components in the .NET framework. The framework is installed with Windows (or whatever OS you are running), and programs written in any of the .NET language has full access. Thus, it greatly reduces the actual instal package that used to be a great pain. You know you have the core framework allready installed in a .NET machine (lots of different OSs supported). Also, if means you can easily throw together an application that is written in four or five languages because they all conform to the same machine code.
For now, though, .NET is a common runtime language that is built off standard components in the .NET framework. The framework is installed with Windows (or whatever OS you are running), and programs written in any of the .NET language has full access. Thus, it greatly reduces the actual instal package that used to be a great pain. You know you have the core framework allready installed in a .NET machine (lots of different OSs supported). Also, if means you can easily throw together an application that is written in four or five languages because they all conform to the same machine code.
DT4K
Diamond Member
It's the latest programming technology from MS.
Basically, it's several new programming languages, a bunch of prebuilt classes you can use in your programs, a compiler that takes your code and turns it into an intermediate language, and an interpreter that executes your intermediate language code.
Basically, it's several new programming languages, a bunch of prebuilt classes you can use in your programs, a compiler that takes your code and turns it into an intermediate language, and an interpreter that executes your intermediate language code.
Not even Gates or Balmer can explain what .NET is.
PricklyPete
Lifer
I agree to an extent... I see it as difficult to get rid of the browser anytime soon. The browser allows MS to have an easily installed "common ground" for all users to have installed on their machine. To get a true ASP.NET application (no mandatory browser specific client code), to run on a users machine, all they have to have is a browser... whether its Mozilla or IE or whatever. There are limitations and I can see room for a lot of improvement (I'd love to see better script support with more Object Oriented concepts involved), but it seems like a workable format for now. Regardless, ASP.NET is a great step forward for internet applications as is some of the newer implementations of JSP (although for ease of integration and overall useability, I like .NET more as of now...we'll see what JSP is like in the upcoming years). On the same note though, it is true that I have not seen major developments in the IE area for a while now. I hope that means they are trying to come out with a more robust, secure application rather than come out with some new concept that may be hard to sell to the public.
On the topic of .NET, I LOVE .NET. I have been part of the design and implementation of several .NET applications, from web based ASP.NET applications to NT Service applications. The framework is a joy to work with and it runs very efficiently when compared to something like Java (not trying to start a war here...just this has been my experience when writing comparable applications in Windows specifically). The idea of .NET is to start with a common base for all Windows related programming (the framework). Get rid of a lot of the things that have bothered people immensely (the registry to an extent, dll versioning, multi-language interfacing difficulties, etc.). They modeled a lot of the ideas off of the Java runtime environment and various Java Frameworks. In my opinion it was a great idea and I have enjoyed working in the .NET framwork more than I ever have the Java environment (and I've enjoyed that as well).
I really do hope that the .NET framework gets a large overhaul in the upcoming year or so. I'd like to see the libraries grow quite a bit with more support for Multimedia and hopefully in the future, a Framework based DirectX API.
PricklyPete
Lifer
Good point...I noticed that, but forgot to point it out as I've known many experienced people to accidentally refer to ASP.NET as a language. I figured Skoorb knew what he was talking about.
I was a bit off on the browser ambitions. Looks to be more of an intranet solution they are developing. I quoted a paragraph from a pretty neat article discussing the next VS.NET versions.
Whidbey takes .NET's WinForms model much further than before with support for improved development and deployment models. You'll probably never again write Web browser-based applications for intranet use once Whidbey is released. Why use a browser with a stunted UI and lame client-side scripting to host an application, when you can have a rich forms-based interface with no deployment to the client other than the .NET Framework? It's probably safe to assume this is exactly what Microsoft had in mind when it announced it's no longer doing any serious work on new versions of Internet Explorer.
From this article: http://www.ftponline.com/vsm/2004_01/magazine/features/kiely/default.aspx
Whidbey takes .NET's WinForms model much further than before with support for improved development and deployment models. You'll probably never again write Web browser-based applications for intranet use once Whidbey is released. Why use a browser with a stunted UI and lame client-side scripting to host an application, when you can have a rich forms-based interface with no deployment to the client other than the .NET Framework? It's probably safe to assume this is exactly what Microsoft had in mind when it announced it's no longer doing any serious work on new versions of Internet Explorer.
From this article: http://www.ftponline.com/vsm/2004_01/magazine/features/kiely/default.aspx
PricklyPete
Lifer
That makes more sense...and sounds neat, although I would still like to see some serious upgrades to IE...but oh well.
I don't think even Microsoft knows.
Every couple of years or so, big companies have these visions. They then go about turning these visions into reality. Unfortunately, the meaning changes every other day. In the end, confusion reigns. Basically, it's just a fancy way of locking you into their products.
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