   so umm... wtf is .Net?
  Basicly If I get into uni next year according to my course list im gonna be using\Learning something called .net framework, so I thought I'd try get a leg up on my studies and learn a bit of it. I've looked on wiki to try and get a grip of what it is but it's just confused the hell out of me. I come from a C\C++ background and looking at it sometimes it sounds like a programming language talking about producing it's own runtime and sometimes it sounds like it's an API of another language so I'm a little lost on exactly what it is.Can someone breifly outline what it is and does and why people use it?   
Quote: I come from a C\C++ background and looking at it sometimes it sounds like a programming language talking about producing it's own runtime and sometimes it sounds like it's an API of another language so I'm a little lost on exactly what it is.NET is a large platform. Which means a lot of technologies, a lot of specifications, many things that all work together nicely. That's why you feel like it's talking about everything. Because it does deal with everything.It's got a runtime (the CLR), it's got languages (C#, VB.NET, and allows for any other .NET compatible language). It's got a large library (the BCL), a lot of specifications and standards dealing with issues like file formats and security and portability. Then you've got all the various frameworks provided by .NET, like ADO.NET and ASP.NET.whereas in C++, it's all about the language, in .NET, it's all about providing a unified runtime and everything needed to develop applications with it.So...does it make sense when you realize it's not a single technology, but a large body of technologies and specifications that all work together?   ;  Above all the complexity; it's a virtual environment that allows your code to run (similar to JVM "java virtual machine*) except that it's constrained to microsoft platforms , although i believe there are some homebrew projects to make those programs run in other platforms. Why is it useful? Well, you can literally build your own language and compiler as long as you adhere to the CIL and CLR which are the last steps before your code goes binary; hence good for execution! (other benefits of course: C#, J# etc.)Although your code is vulnerable to disassembly, slower than native compiling etc. Personally i use the language for lightweight projects: editors or external controllers to my engine etc. I suggest you soak in some info here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework#Architecture;  .Net is a platform on which "proper" businesses use to write applications, that "indie" game companies use to write games on using C#/XNA, and that hosts languages and frameworks that "AAA" game companies write offline tools with.It is incredibly good, one of the true great successes of Microsoft.   ;Quote:Original post by oler1sSo...does it make sense when you realize it's not a single technology, but a large body of technologies and specifications that all work together?It sorta makes a bit more sense, it's a little hard to get my head around at this point Quote:Original post by namar777Above all the complexity; it's a virtual environment that allows your code to run (similar to JVM "java virtual machine*)So do I need to download a dev enviroment like python's IDLE or Visual C++? Whats it called so I can search for it.Iv'e Had A Look At C#, J# F#, I'm getting the feeling these languages were speifically written for .Net and that there just compatable rewrites of exsisting languages(Again Im only guessing here) something like...C# is similar or identical to C(or cpp) and compatible with .NetJ# is similar or identical to Java and compatible with .NetF# is similar or identical to ??? and compatible with .NetVB.NET is similar or identical to Visual Basic and compatible with .NetIs this correct or am I way off?Also Does it allow you to use multipule languages in the same code and to what extent?   ;Quote:Original post by Matty_alanSo do I need to download a dev enviroment like python's IDLE or Visual C++? Whats it called so I can search for it.You don't need an IDE: all what you really need is the .net SDK (similar to what you are required to use Java). The command line compiler is included here.OF course, for anything not trivial, an IDE is of great help and Visual Studio is simply the best tool for .Net development.Quote:Iv'e Had A Look At C#, J# F#, I'm getting the feeling these languages were speifically written for .Net and that there just compatable rewrites of exsisting languages(Again Im only guessing here) something like...C# is similar or identical to C(or cpp) and compatible with .NetJ# is similar or identical to Java and compatible with .NetF# is similar or identical to ??? and compatible with .NetVB.NET is similar or identical to Visual Basic and compatible with .NetIs this correct or am I way off?Yes, you can think to it this way. C# is (or used to be) very similar to Java, so syntactically similar to C++. F# is (IIRC) a functional language. You can also use directly c++ compiled against the CLR in order to make use of the .net API and technologies.I believe that C# is the .net most use language, mainly because it is quite as  easy as Visual Basic (compared to C++), is a very nice language to work with and has been designed with .net in mind.Quote:Also Does it allow you to use multipule languages in the same code and to what extent?For example, you can access assemblies (the compilation units of .net) written in any CLR language (most of the time, IIRC not all features are supported by every language).IMHO, .net is a great platform, not perfect (i.e. I hate WinForm and the dead-born Remoting), but great nonetheless.If you already used java, then .net will look familiar. If only used C++, then syntax aside several things will be new (GC, huge API, memory managment, compilation model and so on).;Quote:Original post by cignox1You don't need an IDE: all what you really need is the .net SDK (similar to what you are required to use Java). The command line compiler is included here.OF course, for anything not trivial, an IDE is of great help and Visual Studio is simply the best tool for .Net development.One of the great things about .NET is its tool support and rich standard library, which is easier to explore using an IDE. You can get so-called Express editions of Visual Studio for .NET for free over here.;  Ok cool I think iv'e got a fair idea what im dealing with now; I think i'll jump into some tutorials in a week or two as I really need to finish writing my admission essay and double check my application for uni before I even think about stuff like this LOL.   ;Quote:Original post by Matty_alanC# is similar or identical to C(or cpp) and compatible with .NetHmm... not really. I would rather describe C# as a better java, those two languages are much closer to each other than C# and C++ are.Quote:J# is similar or identical to Java and compatible with .NetYes, but stay far away from it.Quote:F# is similar or identical to ??? and compatible with .NetO'Caml.;  J# was a .NET-ified J++, which was Microsoft's Java-like language. C# started out being relatively similar but has gathered many more advanced features, and J# has since been killed off pretty much completely (it was last in Visual Studio 2005, it's no longer available in 2008 or 2010).   