Thursday 25 August 2011

Understanding the .NET Platform and its layers

.NET Platform is made up of and we will define its layers. To start, .NET is a framework that covers all the layers of software development above the Operating System. It provides the richest level of
integration among presentation technologies, component technologies, and data
technologies ever seen on Microsoft, or perhaps any, platform. Secondly, the entire
architecture has been created to make it easy to develop Internet applications, as it
is to develop for the desktop.
Constituents of .NET Platform
The .NET consists of the following three main parts
  • • .NET Framework – a completely re-engineered development environment.
  • • .NET Products – applications from MS based on the .NET platform, including
  •    Office and Visual Studio.
  • • .NET Services – facilitates 3rd party developers to create services on the .NET
  • Platform.
The Common Language Runtime (CLR)
At the base is the CLR. It is considered as the heart of the .NET framework. .NET
applications are compiled to a common language known as Microsoft Intermediate
Language or “IL”. The CLR, then, handles the compiling the IL to machine language,
at which point the program is executed.
The CLR environment is also referred to as a managed environment, in which
common services, such as garbage collection and security, are automatically
provided.
More information on CLR is available at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/cpguide/html/cpconthecommonlanguageruntime.asp

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