Introducing ASP.NET | Microsoft .NET Kick Start

When Microsoft introduced ASP (Active Server Pages), a technology that enabled developers to utilize VBScript (a subset language of Visual Basic) programming language to develop Web applications, it was received with a great response from the development community. A simple inclusion of VBScript code snippets on the page within the famous <% %> made the page generate dynamic user interfaces. The success of ASP is probably one of the biggest factors in the success of Microsoft, " yesterday 's" technology platform itself. Behind the scenes, ASP was implemented as an ISAPI extension that added on to Internet Information Server (IIS) and "magically" performed the task of running thousands and thousands of Web sites.

However, with the success of ASP came a huge list of developer demands, which highlighted possible issues and enhancements expected in the technology, such as the following:

Enable the capability to develop Web applications by connecting a set of controls with event handlers, much like Visual Basic.
Provide scalable session handling.
Support use of full-blown programming languages such as Visual Basic to develop Web applications, instead of VBScript.
Provide a reuse mechanism so that server-side includes no longer remain the only way of componentizing Web applications.
Provide configurable security mechanisms.
Enhance the interaction of Web applications with server-side applications by building on top of ASP's integration with COM objects.
Provide XML and Web services support.
In a nutshell , converge the two application development models ”Web and Windows applications.

ASP.NET truly builds on the runaway success of ASP and takes it to the next level; although it still provides the ease of use and flexibility to a developer to quickly develop Web sites, it also provides the necessary sophistication to handle the complexity of mission-critical, complex, Web-based applications. In fact, similar to the popularity of ASP, ASP.NET technology could emerge as the most popular technology of the entire .NET platform.