.NET Framework: Difference between revisions

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.NET Framework began as [[proprietary software]], although the firm worked to [[software standard|standardize]] the software stack almost immediately, even before its first release. Despite the standardization efforts, developers, mainly those in the [[free and open-source software]] communities, expressed their unease with the selected terms and the prospects of any free and open-source implementation, especially regarding [[software patent]]s. Since then, Microsoft has changed .NET development to more closely follow a contemporary model of a community-developed software project, including issuing an update to its patent promising to address the concerns.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2014 |title=Microsoft gets on board with open source |url=https://opensource.com/business/14/11/microsoft-dot-net-empower-open-source-communities |access-date=2020-01-02 |website=Opensource.com |language=en |first1=Luis |last1=Ibanez |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102202811/https://opensource.com/business/14/11/microsoft-dot-net-empower-open-source-communities |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2019, Microsoft released .NET Framework 4.8, the last major version of the framework as a proprietary offering, followed by .NET Framework 4.8.1 in August 2022. Only monthly security and reliability [[software bug|bug]] fixes to that version have been released since then. No further changes to that version are planned. The .NET Framework will continue to be included with future releases of Windows and continue to receive security updates, with no plans to remove it as of SeptemberJuly 20242025.<ref>{{Cite web|last=gewarren|title=.NET Framework & Windows OS versions|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/migration-guide/versions-and-dependencies|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Microsoft Learn|language=en-us|archive-date=September 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903043259/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/dotnet/framework/migration-guide/versions-and-dependencies|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==

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In August 2000, [[Microsoft]] and [[Intel]] worked to standardize [[Common Language Infrastructure]] (CLI) and [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]]. By December 2001, both were ratified [[Ecma International|by ECMA]] standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-335.htm|title=Standard ECMA-335: Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)|date=June 2012|publisher=[[Ecma International|ECMA]]|edition=6|access-date=August 31, 2005|archive-date=June 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629235609/http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-335.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Ecma-334">{{cite web|url=http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-334.htm|title=Standard ECMA-334: C# Language Specification|date=June 2006|publisher=[[Ecma International|ECMA]]|edition=4|access-date=August 31, 2005|archive-date=October 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031042906/http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-334.htm|url-status=dead }}</ref> [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) followed in April 2003. The current version of ISO standards are ISO/IEC 23271:2012 and ISO/IEC 23270:2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=58046|title=ISO/IEC 23271:2012 Information technology – Common Language Infrastructure|publisher=[[International Organization for Standardization]]|date=February 13, 2012|edition=3|access-date=March 17, 2012|archive-date=March 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317142950/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=58046|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=42926|title=ISO/IEC 23270:2006 – Information technology – Programming languages – C#|publisher=[[International Organization for Standardization]]|date=January 26, 2012 |edition=2|access-date=April 1, 2008|archive-date=December 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206152217/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=42926|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Microsoft NET Logo.svg|thumb|The Original Microsoft .NET Logo]]

While Microsoft and their partners hold patents for CLI and C#, ECMA and ISO require that all patents essential to implementation be made available under "[[reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing|reasonable and non-discriminatory terms]]". The firms agreed to meet these terms, and to make the patents available royalty-free. However, this did not apply to the part of the .NET Framework not covered by ECMA-ISO standards, which included [[Windows Forms]], [[ADO.NET]], and [[ASP.NET]]. Patents that Microsoft holds in these areas may have deterred non-Microsoft implementations of the full framework.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft's Empty Promise|url=http://www.fsf.org/news/2009-07-mscp-mono|work=[[Free Software Foundation]]|date=July 16, 2009 |first1=Brett |last1=Smith |quote=However, there are several libraries that are included with Mono, and commonly used by applications like Tomboy, that are not required by the standard. And just to be clear, we're not talking about Windows-specific libraries like ASP.NET and Windows Forms. Instead, we're talking about libraries under the System namespace that provide common functionality programmers expect in modern programming languages|access-date=August 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819101829/http://www.fsf.org/news/2009-07-mscp-mono/|archive-date=August 19, 2009|url-status=live|df=dmy}}</ref>