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Introduction to Microsoft .NET

I. .NET Overview

A. What is Microsoft .NET?

• A software framework capable of delivering Web-based services.
• Contains a server-centric computing model.
• Built to comply with the newest Web standards.

B. Benefits of using .NET

• It introduces a unified programming environment by including Visual Basic,
C#, and other .NET languages as underlying entities; while .NET-enabled
compilers have the same basic language eliminating overloading of data and
language conflicts from other cross-language systems.
• It commits developers to object-oriented technologies by having .NET data
values, source code blocks and plumbing for user-initiated events contained in
a .NET object.
• It introduces simplified Windows programming by replacing regularly used
APIs with hierarchies of objects, providing access to common Windows
features.
• It offers enhanced security by allowing users to establish security rules for
.NET features that can limit malicious programs from doing damage. As such,
buffer overrun issues can be resolved.
• It enhances developer productivity through standards by building .NET
upon many new and existing standards. Data interchange is enhanced not only
for the Windows platform, but also with other platforms and systems.
• It features enhanced web-based development via compiling of script
languages for desktop development specifically for use on the Internet.
• It simplifies deployment of applications via a number of .NET features. This
makes it easier for desktop and Web-based deployments.

II. .NET Platform

A. What is .NET Platform?

• A set of technologies designed to transform the Internet into a full-scale
distributed computing platform.
• Used for building, deploying and running Web services and Windows
applications

B. Major components of .NET Platform

• Visual Studio .NET Environment is the top level of the .NET platform that
provides the tool to design and create professional, enterprise-wide applications
using the whole .NET platform.
• .NET Enterprise Server simplifies the development process for large-scale
business systems.
• .NET Building Block Services, also referred as XML Web Services, are XML
Web Services reusable across the Web.
• .NET Framework is for the development and runtime of several different
languages.

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• The Operating System is the lowest layer of .NET platform. It could be any of
the Windows versions from Windows ME up to the present depending on the
system requirement of .NET.

III. .NET Framework

A. What is .NET Framework?

• A set of components and technologies that make up Microsoft. NET.
• Developed to address some issues suffered by software developers and
users.
• Provides services needed to develop and deploy local applications.
• Provides building blocks to develop Wed-based applications and services
through ASP.NET.

B. Objectives of .NET Framework

• Deliver a reliable object-oriented programming environment whether
object code is collected and performed locally or remotely through the Internet.
• Deliver a flexible code-execution environment that not only lessens software
deployment and versioning differences, but also reduce the execution problems
of scripted or interpreted environment.
• Make developer capability consistent through widely varying types of
applications, such as Windows-based applications and Web-based
applications.
• Build all communication on industry patterns to assure that code based on
the .NET Framework can incorporate with any other code.

C. .NET Framework languages

• Microsoft Visual Basic .NET is the latest, improved version of Visual Basic. It
is an object-oriented programming language made up by its features such as
inheritance and interfaces. Presently, this language allows the user to build
projects with Web Services and ASP.NET applications.
• Microsoft Visual C# allows a .NET application to be created quickly and easily.
It includes Web Services and ASP.NET Web applications. It is also designed
for rapid development of C++ developers to prevent problems over C and C++.
• Microsoft Visual C++ is considered as the top language for developing high-
performance applications for Microsoft Windows and World Wide Web.
• Microsoft Visual J#.NET is Microsoft’s tool for compiling Java-like code. It
would take Java developers to use Java syntax in developing applications and
services in .NET framework, however J# is not included in latest versions.
• Third-party languages allowed Microsoft to incorporate languages from other
companies so it can be supported by the .NET Framework. Some of these
languages are Python, Oberon, COBOL, Pascal, Perl, Smalltalk, among
others.

D. Major Components of .NET Framework

• The Common Language Runtime (or CLR) is the center of the .NET
framework and is a shared resource across all .NET-enabled languages. Its
nature as a runtime environment allows it to execute, process, and manage
.NET tasks such as security, cleanup, code compilation, and debugging.

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• .NET Framework Class Libraries (or FCL) are the foundations of .NET that
include every resource that Microsoft users may want to have in their programs.
They are broad, object-oriented collection of reusable libraries containing
classes, interfaces, and values that add fundamental functionality to
applications.

E. Other Components of .NET Framework

• The Common Language Specification (or CLS) defines the minimum set of
features that a language must implement before considered as .NET-compliant
or CLS-compliant.
• The Common Type System (or CTS) defines all data types and mechanisms
used in .NET applications. It divides objects into two (2) types: Value Types
and Reference Types.
• ADO.NET is the framework’s database technology; it is a set of classes that
represents methods where .NET applications can interact with relational
databases and other data management systems.
• ASP.NET is built in CLR that offers integrated security, consistency, and
robustness while providing developers with the flexibility for programming styles
and patterns based on project requirements.

IV. What is Visual Studio?

• An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and Rapid Application
Development (RAD) software developed by Microsoft for the .NET framework.
• Used to write and handle code by Microsoft software.
• Allows easy implementation of well-distributed, programmable services that
process through individual machines in commercial data centers and across the
Internet.

A. Visual Studio Highlights

• Visual J# was developed individually by Microsoft for building Java and
JavaScript applications and services for .NET Framework. It also provides the
needed utilities for Microsoft J++.
• Visual Studio allowed Smart Device Applications to enable program
development for mobile phones, tablet computers, and other digital devices.
• The ASP.NET Mobile Designer used ASP.NET and .NET Framework to create
Web forms and applications for digital devices.
• Web Forms are highlights for ASP.NET technology that provides a blank slate
of forms that can be used to generated programmable web pages and act as
HTML-compatible browser and script.
• Windows Forms are the .NET Framework platforms for application
development. These are frameworks with well-defined, object-oriented,
modifiable set of classes to develop productive Windows applications.
• Visual Studio also allows XML Web Services through VB, C#, Jscript, C++, and
ASP.NET. These services can be used to receive data requests using XML over
HTTP and work as components that can be called across the Web.
• Finally, Visual Studio enables Extensible Markup Language (XML) Support
to deliver a method to define structured data for web browsers via style sheets
such as CSS.

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B. Visual Studio Enhancements

• Features for LINQ (or Language INtegrated Query) that allow users to access
data using LINQ syntax that extend query capabilities to VB and C#.
• Windows Presentation Projects Support, formerly called Avalon, which uses
an XML-based UI system supported by Windows for desktop and web
applications.
• An improved HTML Editor that allows split-view editing by showing HTML code
and WYSIWYG views. CSS can be used as a style editor with IntelliSense
support.
• Targeted Library Support allows users to associate applications with libraries
across different .NET Framework versions.
• Enhanced Debugging Support provides better remote debugging and the
ability to match source code with framework libraries that will suit on the project
type and framework version.
• IntelliSense Transparency allows programmers to utilize IntelliSense to speed
up coding without Windows obscuring the source code.
• JavaScript IntelliSense and Debugging Support presents an enhanced
JavaScript environment that simplifies creation of Ajax applications for web-
based application developers.

C. Common Visual Studio Editions

• Visual Studio Professional includes features of Visual Studio needed for
desktop and web-based applications. It also includes special tools for MS Office
and mobile device application development.
• Visual Studio Premium includes features from the Professional edition, as well
as database, coding, and testing features.
• Visual Studio Ultimate is the most complete edition of Visual Studio including
features from both Premium and Professional, as well as more additional
features such as the Test and Lab Manager and IntelliTrace.

Reference:
• Microsoft - Introducing Visual Studio.NET (n.d.). Retrieved May 2016 from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-uslibrary/fc6bk1f4(v=vs.71).aspx.

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