C# 5.0 Unleashed

Introducing .NET Assemblies

To execute code on the CLR, it needs to be translated into a format the runtime understands, which is common to all higher-level .NET languages. This format is known as common intermediate language (CIL), usually abbreviated IL. Code executing on the CLR is known as managed code, in contrast to native code that executes directly on the machine’s processor without additional runtime infrastructure. In addition to the IL instructions that catalyze the runtime to execute an application, the CLR needs metadata, which describes the structure and organization of types. The use of metadata also eliminates the need to have header files and helps various tools inspect types. Good examples of such use of metadata include Red ...