Table of Contents

Introduction

Microsoft .NET framework is  collection of wrapper, code, and UI libraries.  It covers a wide range of technologies.

The .NET Framework allows you to:

  • Apply common Platform across a variety of devices, application types, and programming tasks
  • Integrate with other tools and technologies to build the right solution with less work
  • Build compelling applications faster

The Microsoft .NET Framework is a software framework that includes a large library of coded solutions to common programming problems, managing the execution of programs.

The .NET Framework is:

  • Common Language Runtime – provides an abstraction layer over the operating system
  • Base Class Libraries – pre-built code for common low-level programming tasks
  • Development frameworks and technologies – reusable, customizable solutions for larger programming tasks

The framework's Base Class Library provides a large range of features including user interface, data access, database connectivity, cryptography, web application development, numeric algorithms, and network communications. The class library is used by .NET programmers, who combine it with their own code to produce applications.

Versions

  • Version 3.0 of the .NET Framework is included with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. Version 3.5 is included with Windows 7, and it can also be installed on Windows XP and the Windows Server 2003 family of operating systems.
  • Version 3.5 was released in November 2007.
  • Version 4.0 was released in April 2010, along with the launch of Visual Studio 2010. Version 4.0 of the .NET Framework can be installed on Windows XP up to Windows 7 with the exception of Windows Server 2008 Core editions.
  • Version 4.5 was released in August 2012
  • Version 4.5.1 was released in October 2013
  • Version 4.5.2 was released in 05 May 2014.
  • Latest Preview Version is .NET 2015 Preview

Click here for more information about the .NET Framework on the official Microsoft website

To find the version of .net installed on your computer:

  • Go to the Command Prompt and type the following: wmic product where "name like 'Microsoft .N%'"

  

.NET Wiki Pages

   

See Also

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