Hour 24. The 10,000-Foot View

What You'll Learn in This Hour:

• Understanding the .NET Framework

• Understanding the Common Language Runtime (CLR)

• How Visual C# 2005 Uses the Microsoft Intermediate Language

• Using Visual Studio .NET Namespaces

• Understanding the Common Type System

• Understanding Garbage Collection

You know a lot about Visual C# 2005 now. You can create projects, you can use forms and controls to build an interface, and you know how to add menus and toolbars to a form. You've also learned how to create modules and procedures and how to write code to make things happen. You can use variables, make decisions, perform looping, and even debug your code. The question you might be thinking now is, "Where to next?" In fact, this is the number one question I receive from readers via emails.

Throughout this book, I've focused my discussions on Visual C#. When it comes to Microsoft's .NET Framework, however, Visual C# is just part of the picture. This hour provides an overview of Microsoft's .NET Framework so that you can see how Visual C# relates to .NET as a whole. After completing this hour, you'll understand the various pieces of .NET and how they're interrelated. I hope you'll be able to combine this information with your current personal and professional needs to determine the facets of .NET that you want to explore in more detail.