Chapter 4. Surveying the .NET Framework Class Library

4. Surveying the .NET Framework Class Library

All software built on the .NET Framework uses the Common Language Runtime (CLR). Yet even the simplest CLR-based program also requires using some part of the .NET Framework class library, and more capable software will use a much larger set of the services this library provides. Understanding .NET requires having a clear idea of what the .NET Framework class library offers to software developers. This chapter provides a survey of this very large library, then takes a closer look at some of its more fundamental parts.

The .NET Framework class library is essential for building .NET Framework applications