What is .Net

A Microsoft operating system platform that incorporates applications, a suite of tools and services and a change in the infrastructure of the company's Web strategy.

The .NET Framework supports building and running of next gen of applications and XML Web services.

There are four main principles of .NET from the perspective of the user:

• It erases the boundaries between applications and the Internet. Instead of interacting with an application or a single Web site, .NET will connect the user to an array of computers and services that will exchange and combine objects and data.

• Software will be rented as a hosted service over the Internet instead of purchased on a store shelf. Essentially, the Internet will be housing all your applications and data.

• Users will have access to their information on the Internet from any device, anytime, anywhere.

• There will be new ways to interact with application data, such as speech and handwriting recognition.

.NET depends on four Internet standards:

1. HTTP

2. XML

3. SOAP

4. UDDI

Microsoft views this technology as revolutionary, enabling Internet users to do things that were never before possible, such as integrate fax, email and phone services, centralize data storage and synchronize all of a users computing devices to be automatically updated.

 1. HTTP - HyperText Transfer Protocol

Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP is the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web.

HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands.

For example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page.

The other main standard that controls how the World Wide Web works is HTML, which covers how Web pages are formatted and displayed.

HTTP: A Stateless Protocol

HTTP is called a stateless protocol because each command is executed independently, without any knowledge of the commands that came before it.

This is the main reason that it is difficult to implement Web sites that react intelligently to user input.

This shortcoming of HTTP is being addressed in a number of new technologies, including ActiveX, Java, JavaScript and cookies.

2. XML

Short for Extensible Markup Language, a specification developed by the W3C.

XML is a pared-down version of SGML, designed especially for Web documents.

It allows designers to create their own customized tags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organizations.

3. SOAP

Short for Simple Object Access Protocol, a lightweight XML-based messaging protocol used to encode the information in Web service request and response messages before sending them over a network.

SOAP messages are independent of any operating system or protocol and may be transported using a variety of Internet protocols, including SMTP, MIME, and HTTP.

4. UDDI

Short for Universal Description, Discovery and Integration.

A Web-based distributed directory that enables businesses to list themselves on the Internet and discover each other, similar to a traditional phone book's yellow and white pages.

Why .Net?

Why Is .NET Important ?

Microsoft's .NET initiative pervades all aspects of computing. From your operating system and Web browser, to the servers that run the Internet, down to handheld devices, phones, and radios—.NET has a story. Microsoft's ambition is to change the way we develop, access, and interact with Internet applications. Given this, it's easy to see that .NET is important to anyone who accesses information electronically.

Because .NET is so far-reaching, its importance is defined differently for different audiences. This section explores each audience and outlines .NET's importance to each group.

Microsoft wants to sell more software. It wants to be on the servers that run Internet applications all the way down to your VCR (UltimateTV). To realize its goal, Microsoft has assembled some of the brightest minds and poured untold billions into research, all culminating in a bet-the-company strategy—.NET.

.NET facilitates Internet services. Of course, an Internet service is software and the world's largest software company will do more than simply facilitate their creation. 

Microsoft intends to aggressively participate in the creation, hosting, managing, and providing of Internet services to businesses and consumers. 

One need only try Microsoft's Passport technology, or peruse bCentral or MSN to get a glimpse of how the company is focusing on becoming the Internet's software services provider. After all, who better to leverage Microsoft's products than Microsoft?