What .Net actually means for CIOs
Tim Landgrave
Published: 05 Feb 2003 15:34 GMT
The second and third layers of the .Net Platform are collectively called the ".Net Framework."
The second layer consists of a set of core classes that give developers access to system resources like threads, strings, security contexts, network protocols, database systems, message queues, application management interfaces (WMI), raw XML protocols, and XML Web Services classes.
This layer of core classes allows developers to create robust, secure, distributed data management applications in a fraction of the time that it takes using existing tools to program against Windows and the myriad of system APIs. The time savings come from the .Net Framework's ability to present a unified, consistent view of all of the underlying resources in a stable, manageable environment under the control of the CLR. Not only is development time minimised, debugging is radically simpler and more powerful. And the CLR minimises the opportunities for developers to introduce hard-to-find memory leak or system resource management bugs by providing controlling access to the resources.
The final layer of the .Net Platform includes the various presentation management subsystems that compose the .Net Framework. The two key subsystems are the Windows Forms library and the ASP.Net library. The Windows Forms library encompasses a set of classes that include standard Windows controls (text box, list box, grids, etc.).
The Windows Forms library also allows developers to create their own high performance forms and controls in any .Net-compliant language that can be used "as is" or as the base from which new controls can inherit and add their own behaviors.
This capability allows corporate development teams to reuse key corporate presentation assets regardless of the original source language. The ASP.Net library manages access to Web-based .Net applications including XML Web Services interfaces and Web Forms. The ASP.Net Web Forms library provides functionality similar to its Windows Forms counterpart. Developers can create robust, precompiled, inheritable forms and controls that can be used in several different applications. An add-on to the Web Forms library -- the Mobile Internet Toolkit -- allows developers to create Web applications that will run on any Web-enabled device, including cell phones and Palm PCs.
The .Net advantage
So what are the compelling reasons for CIOs to investigate the .Net Platform? I believe it can be summarised in two words: lower cost.
Developers can create more robust applications in less time on the .Net Platform. They can reuse their existing language skill sets. The resulting applications are less expensive to manage and maintain. And the .Net Platform allows developers to create applications that adhere to industry interoperability standards like SOAP, XML, and Web Services in a fraction of the time required by other platforms.
If you've already made a significant investment in Microsoft technology in your organisation, you should be making plans to move to .Net. If you're a J2EE shop, you should at least understand how to integrate with .Net applications using SOAP and Web Services. You're likely to be asked to do so in the next 12 months.
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