Chapter 4: .NET Retraining Prerequisites, Part 2

Foundational Concepts and Technologies for Web/Windows Programming

This chapter covers yet more prerequisites. I know, I know. You bought this book to learn .NET and all of the .NET technologies. My intention is to fully guide you toward and through that exact goal. However, I still have my conscience to deal with ”plus, I like to sleep at night. As one reformed mainframe programmer to another, I really want you to be successful with your .NET retraining effort. On that note, I know that these two prerequisite chapters (the previous chapter and this one) will better prepare you for the entire .NET retraining (the remaining chapters in this book) that awaits you. Therefore, if you were able to extract any value at all from the previous chapter, you are certainly going to love this one.

I actually debated about classifying the four topics this chapter covers as prerequisites for a .NET retraining. What was the debate about? Well, on one hand, the four technologies (OOP, HTML, client-side scripting, and XML) are completely independent of .NET, predate .NET, and can be completely exploited without touching .NET. Yet, on the other hand, to properly leverage the .NET Framework and .NET technologies, you need to have a comfortable understanding about each of the four listed topics. After all, these technologies are critical for Web and Windows programming, and programming with .NET is Web and Windows programming. ^[1] Honestly, in the long term , your .NET journey will fail miserably ^[2] if you do not embrace (at some level) each of these technologies.

^[1] Actually, the list of platforms that can benefit from .NET (including these four foundational technologies) programming extends beyond the Web and the Windows platform. Let's just say that when you hear the word "platform," you should also think "device." Then allow for a broad definition of the word "device" ”beyond just the Web browser and Windows desktop. Additionally, the possibility exists that someday you may be able to do .NET programming on operating systems other than Windows.

^[2] OK, maybe I am exaggerating a little. However, your .NET career growth will be limited, and you can only remain at the junior or intermediate level for so long before your peers start leapfrogging over and around you.