ASP.NET 2.0 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Welcome to ASP.NET Programming

In This Chapter

✓	Zeroing in on the advantages of ASP.NET
✓	Getting the hang of Web servers and Web browsers
✓	Comparing static and dynamic Web pages
✓	Dissecting a typical ASP.NET application

This chapter is a gentle introduction to the world of ASP.NET programming. In the next few pages, you’ll learn what ASP.NET is and how it can be used to create Web applications. You’ll also learn about the various versions of Visual Studio 2005 used to create ASP.NET applications. And, you’ll also discover some features unique to the newest version of ASP.NET, known as ASP.NET 2.0.

Throughout this chapter, you’ll find little snippets of ASP.NET program code. Some of this code will be in C# and some will be in Visual Basic. These are the two most commonly used programming languages for ASP.NET. If you aren’t experienced with either of these languages, don’t worry. The code shown here is pretty simple and straight forward, and you can always turn to Book 4 for more information about C# or Book 5 for more information about Visual Basic.

All code listings used in this book are available for download at www.dummies.com/go/aspnetaiofd.

What Is ASP.NET, and Why Is It So Great?

ASP.NET is a platform for developing Web-based applications. It lets you create sophisticated Web applications that can interact with users. For example, ASP.NET applications can use data-entry controls ...