.NET Framework Programming

The history behind .NET

Microsoft started working on .NET framework in the late 90s. The idea was to create a platform based on so-called managed code, code that can be executed under a runtime environment. This was needed to improve development experience and relieve engineers from handling security operations, active memory management, and other low-level efforts that C/C++ developers had to bother with.

The first release of .NET Framework in 2002 introduced C#, a language for writing managed code that had a design similar to C++. The framework itself aimed at Windows-based computers and servers. It had WinForms, a GUI library for desktop applications; ASP.NET, a framework for Web; and ADO.NET for data access. All these elements were driven by Common Language Runtime (CLR) to compile and execute managed code.

To unite various functions, .NET offered a framework class library (FCL) that included the base class library (BCL), network library, a numerics library, and others.

Since that time, the framework has undergone multiple iterations spanning runtime updates, new desktop graphical systems (WPF), APIs for service-oriented applications (WCF), and more.

In 2014, Microsoft announced a dramatic shift in the way .NET exists by presenting .NET Core, a new cross-platform, cloud-friendly, and open-source version of the framework. .NET Core made it to a release in 2016, becoming the main technology to consider for new .NET projects. Gradually, Microsoft started porting existing services to work with Core. Some that didn’t receive official ports, like Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), were substituted by alternatives sourced from the community.

Also, in 2016, Microsoft acquired Xamarin, previously a proprietary technology for cross-platform mobile development, making it open source as well.

Microsoft continued moving towards “transparency between the product team and the community,” and open sourced Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Forms, and WinUI frameworks in December 2018.

But that’s not all. In May 2019, the company the big release that will unify the whole ecosystem: All .NET products will be bundled in the .NET 5 development platform. That means devs will be able to build applications on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, watchOS, Android, tvOS, or using WebAssembly with just a single .NET. The platform will come with new APIs, language features, and runtime capabilities. Also, .NET 5 will include ASP.NET Core, Xamarin, Entity Framework Core, WPF, WinForms, and ML.NET.

What is .NET development platform

.NET framework

The .NET Framework released back in 2002 is the first and oldest implementation of the platform. It includes three main application models – WPF, Windows Forms, ASP.NET Forms – and Base Class Library.

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a UI framework used for creating graphical interfaces primarily for desktop client applications on Windows OS. WPF uses the capabilities of Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML).

Windows Forms is a GUI class library within .NET Framework. Windows Forms are used to develop desktop applications with rich graphics that are easy to update and deploy.

ASP.NET. While the previous two components are designed for desktop engineering ASP.NET is used to develop dynamic websites and web applications. There is the Common Language Runtime (CLR) in its core that gives developers the opportunity to write ASP.NET code using different .NET languages that we discuss below.

Base Class Library (BCL) provides the most common functionality like classes in namespaces and is the core of the Framework Class Library (FCL), a set of reusable interfaces, classes, and value types that are closely integrated with the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The combination of FCL and CLR constitute the .NET Framework. The base class library also includes ADO.NET, data access technology used by developers to access databases.

As .NET Framework supports only Windows-based devices, there was a need for a cross-platform package.