What Is Microsoft .NET?

Microsoft .NET is the term that covers Microsoft’s latest programming and development environment for creating distributed enterprise applications. The main component of this is the .NET Framework, which consists of an array of elements designed to simplify and strengthen this process. The .NET Framework includes components such as the common language runtime (CLR), ASP.NET, ADO.NET, enterprise services, and .NET Remoting.

Other components of Microsoft .NET include:

• Visual Studio .NET development system

• Windows Server™ 2003 family of operating systems

• Active Directory directory services

• Windows Server system components such as SQL Server 2000 and Exchange Server 2003

Microsoft .NET supports open standards, such as SOAP, Web Services Description Language (WSDL), Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI), and XML. Microsoft provides full support for the .NET Framework and there are versions of the Framework that run on most versions of Windows. Chapter 2 provides an introduction to Microsoft .NET for the experienced J2EE programmer.