Introduction to NET Framework

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As long as a reference to an object exists, which may be either direct, or via a graph of objects, the object is considered to be in use. When no reference to an object exists, and it cannot be reached or used, it becomes garbage, eligible for collection. When you compile a C# program, the compiler generates an .exe or .dll file.

How does .NET compare to .NET Core?

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The framework is intended to be used by most new applications created for the Windows platform. Microsoft also produces an integrated development environment for .NET software called Visual Studio. Overall, the .NET Framework is a powerful and versatile development platform that provides a wide range of tools and libraries for building and running applications on Windows operating systems.

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  • Windows Vista is the first client version of Windows that integrated the .NET Framework.
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How does .NET support AI?

Some parts of the C++ program still run within an unmanaged Visual C++ Runtime, while specially modified parts are translated into CIL code and run with the .NET Framework’s CLR. A private key can also be used by the creator of the assembly for strong naming. The public key token determines the real-world identity of the assembly’s signer.

Languages and Compilers:

Only those knowing their private key (of the double-key cryptography system) can sign assemblies that have the same strong name as a prior version assembly. Strong naming is required to add assemblies to Global Assembly Cache. Before using the .NET Framework, developers need to set up the required SDK and tools.

  • FCL refers to the entire class library that ships with .NET Framework.
  • Programs written for .NET Framework are compiled into Common Intermediate Language code (CIL), as opposed to being directly compiled into machine code.
  • CLR frees the developer from the burden of managing memory (allocating and freeing up when done); it handles memory management itself by detecting when memory can be safely freed.
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Common Language Runtime

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The .NET Compact Framework and .NET Micro Framework variants of the .NET Framework provided support for other Microsoft platforms such as Windows Mobile, Windows CE and other resource-constrained embedded devices. Microsoft began developing .NET Framework in the late 1990s, originally under the name of Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS), as part of the Microsoft .NET strategy. By early 2000, the first beta versions of .NET 1.0 were released.

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It was the predominant implementation of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) until being superseded by the cross-platform .NET project. It includes a large class library called Framework Class Library (FCL) and provides language interoperability (each language can use code written in other languages) across several programming languages. Programs written for .NET Framework execute in a software environment (in contrast to a hardware environment) named the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The CLR is an application virtual machine that provides services such as security, memory management, and exception handling.

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