Difference between net platform and dot net framework...

Difference between net platform and dot net framework...

.net platform supports programming languages that are .net compatible. It is the platform using which we can build and develop the applications.

.net framework is the engine inside the .net platform which actually compiles and produces the executable code.
.net framework contains CLR(Common Language Runtime) and FCL(Framework Class Library) using which it produces the platform independent codes.

What is the .NET Framework?

The Microsoft .NET Framework is a platform for building, deploying, and running Web Services and applications. It provides a highly productive, standards-based, multi-language environment for integrating existing investments with next-generation applications and services as well as the agility to solve the challenges of deployment and operation of Internet-scale applications. The .NET Framework consists of three main parts: the common language runtime, a hierarchical set of unified class libraries, and a componentized version of Active Server Pages called ASP.NET.

What is the common type system (CTS)?

The common type system is a rich type system, built into the common language runtime, that supports the types and operations found in most programming languages. The common type system supports the complete implementation of a wide range of programming languages.

What is the CTS, and how does it relate to the CLS?

CTS = Common Type System. This is the full range of types that the .NET

runtime understands. Not all .NET languages support all the types in the

CTS.

CLS = Common Language Specification. This is a subset of the CTS which all

.NET languages are expected to support. The idea is that any program which

uses CLS-compliant types can interoperate with any .NET program written in

any language. This interop is very fine-grained - for example a VB.NET class   can inherit from a C# class.

What is the Common Language Specification (CLS)?

The Common Language Specification is a set of constructs and constraints that serves as a guide for library writers and compiler writers. It allows libraries to be fully usable from any language supporting the CLS, and for those languages to integrate with each other. The Common Language Specification is a subset of the common type system. The Common Language Specification is also important to application developers who are writing code that will be used by other developers. When developers design publicly accessible APIs following the rules of the CLS, those APIs are easily used from all other programming languages that target the common language runtime.

What is the Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL)?

MSIL is the CPU-independent instruction set into which .NET Framework programs are compiled. It contains instructions for loading, storing, initializing, and calling methods on objects.

Combined with metadata and the common type system, MSIL allows for true cross-language integration.

Prior to execution, MSIL is converted to machine code. It is not interpreted.

What is COM, COM+ and DCOM ?

COM (Component Object Model) A standard that is used to for

communication between OS and the softwares. COM is used to create

reusable software components

COM+ : COM+ is an extension of Component Object Model (COM). COM+ is

both an OOP architecture and a set of operating system services.

DCOM an extension of the Component Object Model (COM) that allows COM

components to communicate across network boundaries. Traditional COM

components can only perform interprocess communication across process

boundaries on the same machine. DCOM uses the RPC mechanism to

transparently send and receive information between COM components (i.e.,

clients and servers) on the same network.