Introduction to Python
.NET is a software framework developed by Microsoft that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It provides a comprehensive set of libraries, tools, and programming languages that allow software developers to build a wide variety of applications. [Image of .NET framework logo]
.NET is a free and open-source framework, and it is used by millions of developers around the world. It is a powerful and flexible platform that can be used to build everything from simple console applications to complex web applications.
This documentation will provide you with an introduction to .NET. It will cover the basics of the framework, such as its architecture, programming languages, and libraries. It will also provide you with some hands-on tutorials that will help you get started with .NET development.
By the end of this documentation, you will have a good understanding of .NET and be able to start building your own applications.
What is .NET?
.NET is a software framework that provides a standard set of programming languages, libraries, and tools that can be used to build a variety of applications. It is a cross-platform framework, which means that it can be used to build applications that run on Windows, macOS, Linux, and other operating systems. [Image of .NET cross-platform logo]
.NET is a free and open-source framework, which means that it is available for anyone to use and modify. It is also a very popular framework, with millions of developers around the world using it to build their applications.
Why use .NET?
There are many reasons why you might want to use .NET to build your applications. Some of the reasons include:
- .NET is a powerful and flexible framework that can be used to build a wide variety of applications.
- .NET is a cross-platform framework, which means that your applications can run on Windows, macOS, Linux, and other operating systems.
- .NET is a free and open-source framework, which means that it is available for anyone to use and modify.
- .NET has a large and active community of developers who can provide support and help with your projects.
Getting started with .NET
If you are interested in getting started with .NET, there are a few things you need to do. First, you need to install the .NET development environment. You can do this by downloading the .NET installer from the Microsoft website. [Image of .NET installer download page]
Once you have installed the .NET development environment, you can start building your applications. You can do this by using one of the many .NET programming languages, such as C#, Visual Basic, or F#. [Image of C# programming language logo][Image of Visual Basic programming language logo] [Image of F# programming language logo]
There are also many resources available to help you get started with .NET development. You can find tutorials, articles, and books on the Microsoft website and on other websites. You can also find help from the .NET community by participating in online forums and chat rooms.
.NET Frameworks
There are many different .NET frameworks available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most popular .NET frameworks include:
| Framework | Description |
|---|---|
| .NET Framework |  The original .NET framework, which is still widely used for building Windows applications. It is a managed execution environment that provides a standard set of APIs for building applications. |
| .NET Core |  A cross-platform version of the .NET Framework, which is designed to run on Windows, macOS, Linux, and other operating systems. It is a smaller and more lightweight framework than the .NET Framework, which makes it ideal for building applications that need to be portable. |
| .NET Standard |  A set of APIs that are common to all .NET frameworks, which allows developers to write applications that can run on any .NET platform. This makes it easy to build applications that can be used on a variety of devices and operating systems. |
| Xamarin |  A framework for building cross-platform mobile applications. It allows developers to use C# to build applications that can run on iOS, Android, and macOS. |
| Unity |  A framework for building cross-platform games. It allows developers to use C# to build games that can run on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and other platforms. |
| .NET Maui |  A new cross-platform framework for building native mobile and desktop applications with C# and XAML. It is a successor to Xamarin Forms and is designed to be more modern, performant, and extensible. |
Versions of .NET
| Version | Release date | Support status | Main features |
|---|---|---|---|
| .NET 1.0 | February 2002 | Out of support | First version of .NET Framework |
| .NET 1.1 | April 2003 | Out of support | ASP.NET mobile controls, built-in support for ODBC and databases |
| .NET 2.0 | November 2005 | Out of support | Generics, nullable types, anonymous methods, partial classes |
| .NET 3.0 | November 2006 | Out of support | Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), Windows CardSpace |
| .NET 3.5 | November 2007 | Out of support | LINQ, lambda expressions, extension methods, anonymous types |
| .NET 4.0 | April 2010 | Out of support | Dynamic language runtime (DLR), parallel programming, code contracts |
| .NET 4.5 | August 2012 | Out of support | Async and await, caller info attributes, Zip compression |
| .NET 4.5.1 | October 2013 | Out of support | Automatic binding redirection, performance and debugging improvements |
| .NET 4.5.2 | May 2014 | Out of support | High DPI support, ASP.NET app suspension |
| .NET 4.6 | July 2015 | Out of support | RyuJIT compiler, SIMD support, string interpolation |
| .NET 4.6.1 | November 2015 | Out of support | WPF improvements, HTTP/2 support |
| .NET 4.6.2 | August 2016 | Out of support | Cryptography enhancements, SQL client improvements |
| .NET 4.7 | April 2017 | Out of support | High DPI enhancements, touch support for WPF |
| .NET 4.7.1 | October 2017 | Out of support | Configuration builders, ASP.NET forms authentication |
| .NET 4.7.2 | April 2018 | Out of support | Dependency injection for ASP.NET Web Forms, Brotli compression |
| .NET Core 1.0 | June 2016 | Out of support | First version of .NET Core |
| .NET Core 1.1 | November 2016 | Out of support | Azure App Service and AWS support, Docker tools |
| .NET Core 2.0 | August 2017 | Out of support | Expanded API surface, Razor Pages for ASP.NET Core |
| .NET Core 2.1 LTS | May 2018 | Supported until August 2021 | 2021 Global tools, Generic Span and Generic Memory, HttpClient enhancements |
| .NET Core 2.2 | December 2018 | Out of support | Tiered compilation, health checks for ASP.NET Core |
| .NET Core 3.0 | September 2019 | Out of support | Support for desktop apps (WPF and Windows Forms), C# 8 features |
| .NET Core 3.1 LTS | December 2019 | Supported until December 2022 | Blazor WebAssembly preview, partial class support for Razor components |
| . NET Framework4.8 | .NET releases in odd-numbered years are Long-Term Support (LTS) releases and are supported for three years. | April2019 | . NET Framework is the last major version of.NET Framework. |
| . NET (formerly known as.NET Core) is the next major release after.NET Core. | November2020 | . NET releases in odd-numbered years are Long-Term Support (LTS) releases and are supported for three years. | Single file applications,. NET MAUI,. NET CLI tools for Windows Forms and WPF,. NET Interactive notebooks,C#9 features |
| . NET6 | .NET releases in even-numbered years are Standard-Term Support (STS) releases and are supported for18 months. | November2021 | . NET Multi-platform App UI (. NET MAUI), Blazor desktop apps,. NET Hot Reload,. NET CLI tools for ASP.NET Core,C#10 features |
| . NET7 | .NET releases in even-numbered years are Standard-Term Support (STS) releases and are supported for18 months. | November2022 | . NET 7 is the third major release in Microsoft’s.NET unification journey. |
| . NET8 | .NET releases in odd-numbered years are Long-Term Support (LTS) releases and are supported for three years. | November2023 | . NET 8 is the next major release after.NET 7. |
*LTS stands for Long-Term Support
Conclusion
.NET is a powerful and flexible framework that can be used to build a wide variety of applications. It is a free and open-source framework, and it has a large and active community of developers who can provide support and help with your projects. If you are interested in building applications, .NET is a great place to start.