Summary

This chapter covered .NET components, the fundamental ingredients for any distributed application. Along the way, I've intentionally glossed over several architecture issues. They'll return with a vengeance in Chapter 10, but first you need to have all the key .NET technologies at your fingertips.

We also took a lightning tour through .NET deployment basics, including how .NET resolves references to private or public assemblies. We'll return to this topic in Chapter 15 with advanced deployment techniques that can support a distributed application, including strategies you can use to create a self-upgrading program or a modular application that downloads required functionality transparently.