Microsoft .NET provides resources that help computer programmers develop applications for use with the Microsoft Windows operating system. The .NET platform consists of a development environment, class library, and runtime environment.
Purpose of .NET platform
The .NET platform was created to encourage outside software companies to develop applications for the Windows family of operating systems. When users have a wide choice of desirable applications available,
they tend to keep buying. As long as users keep buying existing application, software companies will keep developing new applications. This process feeds on itself.
Microsoft naturally wanted to maintain the dominance of its Windows operating system. Therefore, it had to give software companies what they needed -- a powerful application development platform.
Versions of the .NET platform
The beta version of the .NET 1.0 platform was introduced by Microsoft late in the year 2000. The latest version, .NET 4.5, was released in August of 2012. There have been five other versions in between the first and last version. Successive versions of the .NET platform have been distributed with successive versions of various Microsoft operating systems.
Development environment
The development environment is known as the Visual Studio. It helps computer programmers build applications that use the .NET platform. This environment automates the development of these .NET-oriented applications.
Class library
This class library includes procedures for database connectivity, data access, user interface, web application development, algorithms, and network communications. These procedures are available in all the languages supported by the .NET platform. These supported languages are C#, J#, and VB.NET. The preceding languages are Microsoft developed versions of C and C++, Java and J++, and BASIC.
Runtime environment
The runtime environment is known as the Common Language Runtime. It replaces the operating system of a computer. Among other things, this runtime environment provides memory management, security, and exception handling.
This type of system program is known as a "virtual machine." It isolates application programs from the operating systems of different computer models. This makes it easier to port programs from one type of computer to another type of computer. It also allows the system program to handle certain operating system functions in a special way.
Pros and cons
The .NET platform speeds up the development of applications for the Windows operating system. In addition, it provides a rich set of resources that can be used for various types of applications. However, this platform tends to restrict developers to the Microsoft family of operating systems. Of course, that was the intention of Microsoft in the first place.
Sometimes having to choose from a variety of resources can impede application development. Some developers just don't know where to start. In addition, developers have to go through a learning curve to make the most effective use of this platform.
Developers have complained that the garbage collection feature of the runtime environment slows down programs that make extensive use of the computer's memory. The term "garbage collection" refers to the process of freeing up memory that is no longer being used by a program.
