Objectives:

 

n    What is .Net?

n    Why we need .Net?

n    What are the advantages?

n    Features of .Net

n    What can we do with the .Net?

n    Job Opportunities

What is .Net?

n    A new framework, re-invented with a new strategy - Operating System - neutral

n    A new development platform to build integrated, service-oriented applications regardless of platforms and languages

n    Easier for programmers to quickly create robust internet applications

n    Assures Information available any time, any place, on any device

n    Represents a set of components, an environment, a programming infrastructure.

 

Why we need .Net?

n    Makes Programming Easier

n    To build reusable Web Services instead of solid applications

n    Web Services can be written in any Language, VB, VC++,C#

n    Web Services works with all devices from PCs to hand-helds

n    Easy to add new interface technologies like speech and handwriting recognition

 

What are the advantages?

n    User can interact with their data through hand-writing, speech, and vision technologies

n    .Net will change the way that applications can be developed as it sets XML as industry standard

n    Extends the ideas of both the Internet and Operating System by making Internet itself as a basis of new OS

n    It promises to handle all existing deficiencies such as, limited interaction between users and computers, barrier to productivity and asynchronous data design across devices etc.

  

Figure : The .NET Framework consists of the common language runtime and a hierarchical set of

class libraries for building Windows-based, Web, and XML Web service solutions.

  

Features of .NET

 

n    Common Language Specification (CLS)

n    Common Type Specification (CLS)

n    Common Language Runtime (CLR)

n    Intermediate Language (IL Code) and Metadata

n    Inter-operability between Languages

n    Base Class Libraries

 

Common Language Specification (CLS)

 

n    A .Net language must provide a set of possibilities and constructions listed in an agreement called CLS

n    A .Net Language compiles to a common format specified in the CLS, that CLR understands

 

 

Common Type Specification (CTS)

 

n    A specification of the minimum norms for languages to be .Net compatible

n    It includes a set of basic data types that different languages can follow during runtime

n    It specifies how these data types can interact with each other

 

 Common Language Runtime (CLR)

 

n    A runtime is a component that a computer has, to execute programs written in any language

n    CLR manages the execution of code and enables communication between components and objects written in any language

 

 Intermediate Language Code (IL Code)

 

n    A source program, on compilation produces a IL code, not a managed executable code (native code).

n    IL code becomes the input to the runtime for execution

n    Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler is required to turn the IL code into native code

n    IL code is CPU independent

 

Meta Data

 

n    Metadata is defined as “data about data” - data about system level attributes

n    Compiler generates metadata along with the IL code

n    Metadata usually provides information about the code,

n    such as, the definition of each type and the signatures of members of each type

Inter-operability between languages

 

n    .Net supports a variety of languages like C#, VB.net, VC++.net.

n    Perl, Eiffel, COBOL are also coming up with their compilers for the .Net platform

n    The code written in any of the CTS compliant languages can be used from any other language on the .Net

n    .Net enables applications and components to be shared and used by developers who program in other languages

Base Class Library

n    String handling

n    Arrays, lists, maps etc.

n    Accessing files and file system

n    Accessing the registry

n    Security and Windows messages

n    Networking

n    Directory and Database Access

 

What can we do with .Net?

Developing applications using .Net

 

To develop windows client application, programmable web pages and inter-operable web applications, .Net provides the following:

 

n    Windows Forms

n    Web Forms

n    Web Services

 

Windows Forms

 

It is a framework for building Windows client applications that utilize Common Language Runtime

 

Web Forms

 

n    Web forms are developed using ASP.Net to create programmable web pages

n     It also uses CLR language as an additional support

n     Web forms can run on any browser

Web Services

 

n    Web service is a programmable application logic accessible by all the internet users

n    They are just-like components

n    It uses standard internet protocols like HTTP, SOAP and XML whereas other components uses DCOM, RMI or Internet Inter-ORB (IIOP) protocols

Web Services

 

n    .Net uses UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) protocol to enable applications to find out the availability of services and resources on the internet

n    SOAP is used by .Net to provide information about the services provided by a web service

n    Finally, XML is used to provide a standard for data transfer

 

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

 

n    SOAP is a lightweight and simple XML based protocol that is designed to exchange structured and typed information on the web

n    SOAP can be used in combination with variety of other internet protocols and formats such as HTTP, MIME and SMTP

 

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

 

n    XML is used to provide a standard for data transfer

n    Web services depend entirely on XML for interfacing with remote objects

n    It acts as an “entry point” in to so many areas in .Net for future integration

 

Job Opportunities:

 

n    .NET is the top ranking software technology when compared with the other technologies like Java.

n    IT magazines like PC Quest, Data Quest, PC World puts .Net on top of the charts for its performance, scalability and versatility.

n    More than 70% of the existing applications are to be upgraded to .Net environment.

n    Corporate giants like Infosys, Wipro, iflex, IBM, Pentasoft, Polaris, Cognizant Technologies have already undergoing development in .Net. And, they still need more.

n    Job Market needs around 25000 .Net skilled engineers during the current year.