Overview of .NET

       It is not a programming language, but it supports several programming languages. By default .net comes with few programming languages including C# (C Sharp), VB.NET, J# and managed C++. .NET is a common platform for all the supported languages. It gives a common class library, which can be called from any of the supported languages.

    When you write code in any language and compile, it will be converted to an 'Intermediate Language' (Microsoft Intermediate Language - MSIL). So, your compiled executable contains the IL and not really executable machine language. When the .NET application runs, the .NET framework in the target computer take care of the execution. (To run a .NET application, the target computer should have .NET framework installed.) The .NET framework converts the calls to .NET class libraries to the corresponding APIs of the Operating system.

The .NET Framework

      .NET is a collection of tools, technologies, and languages that all work together in a framework to provide the solutions that are needed to easily build and deploy truly robust enterprise applications.

Overview of .Net Framework

      At the base of the .NET Framework is the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The CLR is the engine that manages the execution of the code. The next layer up is the .NET Framework Base Classes. This layer contains classes, value types, and interfaces that you will use often in your development process. The third layer of the framework is ASP.NET and Windows Forms.

Common Language Runtime

      The Common Language Runtime (CLR) in the .NET Framework manages the execution of the code and provides access to a variety of services that will make the development process easier.

Features:-

·         Cross-language integration

·         Code access security

·         Debugging and profiling support

     After using one of the language compilers, your code is compiled down to Microsoft Intermediate Language. Microsoft Intermediate Language, known as MSIL or simply IL, is a CPU-independent set of instructions that can be easily converted to native code. The metadata is also contained within the IL.

        The IL is CPU-independent. This means that IL code is not reliant on the specific computer that generated it. In other words, it can be moved from one computer to another (as long as the computer supports the .NET Framework) without any complications. After IL, the code that you started with will be compiled down even further by the JIT compiler to machine code or native code.

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