The .NET initiative is a project by Microsoft to create a new development platform, focused on network transparency, platform independence, and rapid application development.
The Strategy
First, it's a strategic initiative. It's something to energize and motivate its staff and partners with a vision for the future. It's also something that just might give Microsoft an outside chance to dominate the Internet, the way it does the desktop and the rest of computer devices.
The Enterprise Infrastructure
Second, it's a software platform, which was released in 2002. It presents a language-independent target for software development, with many built-in features including Internet integration and features intended to enhance security. In this respect it largely replaces the former component object model (COM).
- The Common Language Infrastructure (CLI,) is a virtual machine and a standard class library (the Common Language Runtime which is designed to be independent of both programming languages and operating systems). The virtual machine executes the Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) assembly.
- Access to components written in other languages and the underlying Microsoft Windows platform
- Web services using the Simple Object Access Protocol(.
Supporting Products
Third, .NET is a collection of development environments and software packages that are new versions of existing Microsoft products geared toward the .NET platform, including a more advanced Visual Studio.
.NET Languages
The CLI is designed to provide support for a family of object-oriented programming languages, sharing a common object model and a large common class library, including:
- C# programming language|C#, a C-like object-oriented language similar to Sun's Java
- Visual Basic .NET, an improved version of the classic Visual Basic programming language
- Managed C++, a variant of the C++ programming language for the .NET platform
- JScript .NET, a compiled version of Microsoft's JScript, quite similar to ECMAScript
- Delphi 7 includes a preview compiler for .NET, but the next release (possibly called Delphi for .NET) will have more complete support for .NET
- COBOL
- Perl
- Python
- Mercury
- Objective Pascal.
.NET vs. J2EE
The CLI, the MSIL and C# have similarities to Sun Microsystems' Java Virtual Machine and Sun's Java, because they are competitors. Sun’s premiere product, J2EE, has been on the market longer, and has strong component structure. . NET is better suited for web service applications, because support is built in. Several publications have commented that most firms probably will use both enterprise infrastructures.
Standardization and Open Source
Microsoft has submitted a part of the specifications of .NET to ECMA for standardization. This is a calculated risk, but it may encourage ECMA-compliant implementations, to provide an ongoing bridge for non-Windows software to be converted to Microsoft .NET.
An open source implementation of the .NET architecture is in progress. It is targeted at UNIX/Linux variants. It has been dubbed Mono, and development is sponsored by Ximian.