Microsoft .NET

Released in 2001, .NET is the technology basis for all future Microsoft solutions. .NET represents a significant leap forward in software development environment, tools, and languages on the Microsoft platform.

What is it?

.NET is the culmination of the lessons learned since Windows95 and a close examination of what happened in the world of Java. .NET is a complete replacement of the Win32 programming environment which itself was a beefed up version of the old Win16 programming environment that first appeared in Windows 3.x. This new programming environment is a modern approach to building software. .NET doesn't carry over any of the baggage normally required for backwards compatibility, and makes Microsoft Windows a stable and secure programming environment. It is even possible to run .NET on non-Microsoft platforms.

Benefits of .NET

C#

C# is a new language that debuted with the first release of .NET. It is syntactically similar to Java and C++. C# combines the power of C++ with the rapid application benefits of Visual Basic. What used to take 20 lines of C++ can be accomplished in one or two lines of C#. Programmers don't have to waste time fighting with the language to make it do what they need.

Using C# developers can write sophisticated, yet elegant, software solutions fast. Less time is spent on internal plumbing and more effort focused on implementing business rules.

Managed Environment

All .NET programs run in a Managed Runtime, which is essentially a container that separates the Operating System (OS) from .NET. This means a .NET program can't cause a memory error that crashes the entire system. It also makes memory leaks a problem of the past now that there is automatic Garbage Collection which cleans up unused memory. .NET programs have security enforced all the way through.

The Managed Environment ultimately leads to more secure programs that are more stable.

Unified Programming Paradigm

In the win32 environment different types of applications were programmed in drastically dissimilar ways. Even if one standardized to using the same programming language, such as C++, there were many disparate forms of implementation: MFC C++, ATL C++, embedded C++, Win32 C++. This meant as a programmer needed to move from one environment to another to build a total solution, they had to constantly switch gears and solve the same problems in a different way.

In .NET Microsoft unified the technique in which actions are written. Creating a button is the same in a Windows program, a web page, or a handheld application. This means programmers only need to learn the framework once and can implement it consistently wherever the project requires.

Web Services

A web service is a program without a user interface. Instead, it has an industry standard XML interface that a "client" can use to execute the program. Clients can utilizes web services across the office or across the country.

By enabling applications to share data across different hardware platforms and operating systems, Web services provide many benefits, including:

• Opening the door to new business opportunities by making it easy to connect with partners.
• Delivering dramatically more personal, integrated experiences to users through the new breed of smart devices-including PCs.
• Saving time and money by cutting development time.
• Increasing revenue streams by enabling businesses to easily make their own Web services available to others.

Summary

The advantages of .NET are clear. Nuway focuses on designing superior C# .NET solutions for Microsoft platforms.