The .NET Framework

What is the .Net Framework?

The .NET Framework is a development and execution environment that allows different programming languages & libraries to work together seamlessly to create Windows-based applications that are easier to build, manage, deploy, and integrate with other networked systems.

The .NET Framework consists of:

* The Common Language Runtime (CLR)

A language-neutral development & execution environment that provides services to help "manage" application execution

* The Framework Class Libraries (FCL)

A consistent, object-oriented library of prepackaged functionality

The .NET Framework provides the basic infrastructure that Windows-based applications need to make Microsoft's .NET vision of connecting information, people, systems, and devices a reality:

* Support for standard networking protocols & specifications
The .NET Framework uses standard Internet protocols and specifications like TCP/IP, SOAP, XML, & HTTP to allow a broad range of information, people, systems, and devices to be connected

* Support for different programming languages
The .NET Framework supports a variety of different programming languages so developers can pick the language of their choice

* Support for programming libraries developed in different languages
The .NET Framework provides a consistent programming model for using prepackaged units of functionality (libraries) which makes application development faster, easier & cheaper

* Support for different platforms
The .NET Framework is available for a variety of Windows platforms, which allows people, systems, and devices to be connected using different computing platforms. E.g. People using desktop platforms like Windows XP or device platforms like Windows CE can connect to server systems using Windows Server 2003

Web 2.0 Meet .Net 3.0

Microsoft is making a move to rename WinFX to the .Net Framework 3.0.

WinFX is a programming model for Vista and is the follow-on to Microsoft's Win32 technology.

.Net Framework 3.0 consists of the .Net Framework 2.0, WCF (Windows Communication Foundation), WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation), WF (Windows Workflow), and InfoCard—now known as WCS (Windows CardSpace) as part of the renaming scheme.

S. "Soma" Somasegar, corporate vice president of Microsoft's developer division, said the move to rename WinFX was taken to avoid any confusion in the naming scheme for Microsoft's core developer technology, but that the renaming will have no impact on the delivery schedule of the .Net Framework, the next major version of Visual Studio known as "Orcas," Vista, or Office 2007.

It is purely a branding change, company officials said.

The gist of the issue is that Microsoft has two successful developer brands in WinFX and .Net, and the company has seen 320,000 downloads of WinFX—and 700 signed GoLive licenses—since the December Community Technology Preview, and more than 35 million downloads of the .Net Framework since the November launch.

.Net has been successful and on its own trajectory, and Microsoft expects WinFX to see the same kind of adoption.

With early adopters the branding strategy has been pretty clear; however, Microsoft officials said they believe that as WinFX gets out of pre-release and goes mainstream, it may confuse developers as to which framework to build on and which tools to use.

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