title: Crystal Report and alternatives
body: <p>I am a newbie in Crystal Reports, I have few questions regarding it:</p>
  
  <p>1) Is Crystal Reports part of .NET Framework?</p>
  
  <p>2) Is there a specific version of Crystal Report that is compatible with specific version of .NET Framework / Visual Studio ?</p>
  
  <p>3) Can we use Crystal Reports with other platforms as well, like Java, etc ?</p>
  
  <p>4) What are the alternatives available for reporting and how does Crystal Report compare with them ?</p>