.NET Framework

The .NET framework consists of many parts. It no longer makes a difference as to what language you use for your application. As you can see below, the Common Language Runtime (CLR) which provides the core .NET functionality is the same regardless of the language. Above the CLR is the the .NET framework class library which provides all the Windows functionality for building an application such as drawing, menus, file handling, networking, and so forth. And above that are the .NET languages. So you can see that regardless of the language you have access to the same .NET functionality.

Figure 1. The .NET Framework

The Common Language Runtime (CLR) is responsible for providing a consistent set of services to .NET applications. The CLR manages memory, handles security, the basic data types, and error handling.

Figure 2. The Common Language Runtime

The .NET framework class library provides all the functionality to handle networking, file handling, machine security, debugging, complex arrays, and so forth.

Figure 3. The .NET Framework Class Library

Today developers using C++ use the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) or use the Active Template Library (ATL) to write applications. Java developers use the Windows Foundation Classes (WFC), and VB developers use the Visual Basic APIs. Each framework (MFC, ATL, WFC, etc) works differently and is specific to a language. The .NET framework unifies the different languages and frameworks. Developers no longer have to learn multiple frameworks to do their work.