| In Figure 1.1, at the top of the .NET Framework, you see the word "Applications." This section of the diagram represents the applications that developers will write: desktop applications, ASP.NET Web-based applications, and Web Services. All of these applications will utilize the functionality provided by the lower levels of the diagram. All of these applications run on the .NET Framework, a situation that provides three fundamental benefits: -
Concepts and services remain consistent across all applications. For example, the classes that provide access to a database are the same for all types of applications. This consistency significantly reduces the learning curve when exposing your components via different means. -
The possibility for substantial reuse exists. You can use a well- constructed database access component from many different types of applications without modification (or recompiling). -
The support for multiple programming languages means that choosing any particular programming language does not tie you into language-specific libraries and functionality. This freedom of language choice is similar to the situation when using architectures such as CORBA. |