Visual Studio® 2010 and .NET 4, Six-in-one

Chapter 7. .NET Framework Version History

The .NET Framework represents one of the most important innovations in the history of software development. This chapter introduces you to the history of the .NET Framework, and takes you from the very beginning to the newest version.

First, you'll learn about some antecedents, focusing on Win32 programming in C, programming in C++, Visual Basic and Delphi, and COM programming. After that, you'll learn about the main goals of the .NET Framework.

This chapter describes the evolution of the .NET Framework, step by step, from version 1.0 to the newest version, 4.0. Also, you'll learn about the .NET Compact Framework, as well as .NET Micro Framework.

Finally, you'll learn about the .NET Framework architecture, including Common Language Run-time (CLR), Base Class Library (BCL), and the complete list of services of the architecture.

BEFORE THE .NET FRAMEWORK

It is much easier to understand what led Microsoft professionals to the vision of the .NET Framework if you grasp a bit about the run-times used around 2000. During this period, developers had to use a lot of tools to develop a complex system. Some of them were chosen by way of preference and experience (for example, Delphi, Visual Basic, and C++), but others were selected just because they were all that was available on the market.

Let's take a look at some of those tools.

Win/Win32 Programming in C

Before the age of the .NET Framework, the traditional programming language of Windows was C for a ...