The .NET Framework is a new computing platform that
simplifies application development in the highly distributed environment of the
Internet. The vision behind dot net is to provide a feature rich application
development platform and a managed, protected execution environment. The
current version of .NET framework SDK is 1.0. also the .NET framework SKD 1.1
beta is available. A few goals of .NET are to:
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Simplify application development
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Simplify application deployment.
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Provide a platform for building web services.
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Enable universal access of applications from any
device.
Simplify
application development:
Microsoft .NET makes development easier, as the framework provides a new
set of tools, including a large set of object-oriented system level classes.
The framework helps the developer by a rich set of classes and services that
are more easily accessible than any previous windows-based set of APIs.
Simplify
application deployment: Typical
problems faced in deploying applications involving registering DLLs and the
type library versions getting mixed up is addressed in .NET by making
components self describing through meta data.
Provide a
platform for building web services: The .NET initiative provides the tools and technology for creating
and implementing XML web services. In this context an application is no longer
tightly coupled, instead it is made up of loosely coupled distributed web
services that inter-operate using XML and HTTP.
Enable
universal access of applications from any device: Using .NET
traditional applications can be rewritten as web services that deliver data as
XML over HTTP, using the open standard SOAP. This is a very flexible way to
exchange data because XML does not dictate how it is displayed. The use of XML
in delivering data will enable communication between applications running on
different devices. Each device in turn transforms the XML information into a
presentation that is best suited to the device.
