1.1 The .NET Platform
When Microsoft announced C# in July 2000, its unveiling was part of a
much larger event: the announcement of the .NET platform. The .NET
platform is, in essence, a new development framework that provides a
fresh application programming interface (API) to the services and
APIs of classic Windows operating systems (especially the Windows
2000 family), while bringing together a number of disparate
technologies that emerged from Microsoft during the late 1990s. This
includes COM+ component services, the ASP web development framework,
a commitment to XML and object-oriented design, support for new web
services protocols such as SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI, and a focus on the
Internet, all integrated within the DNA architecture.
Microsoft says it is devoting 80% of its research and development
budget to .NET and its associated technologies. The results of this
commitment to date are impressive. For one thing, the scope of .NET
is huge. The platform consists of four separate product groups:
A set of languages, including C# and Visual Basic .NET, a set of
development tools including Visual Studio .NET, a comprehensive class
library for building web services and web and Windows applications,
as well as the Common Language Runtime (CLR) to execute objects built
within this framework.
A set of .NET Enterprise Servers, formerly known as
SQL Server
2000, Exchange
2000, BizTalk
2000, and so on, that provide specialized functionality for
relational data storage, email, B2B commerce, etc.
An offering of commercial web services, called
.NET My
Services. For a fee, developers can use these services in building
applications that require knowledge of user identity, etc.
New .NET-enabled non-PC devices, from cell phones to game boxes.
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