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The framework's Base Class Library provides user interface, data access, database connectivity, cryptography, web application development, numeric algorithms, and network communications. The class library is used by programmers, who combine it with their own code to produce applications. Programs written for the .NET Framework execute in a software (as contrasted to hardware) environment, known as the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The CLR is an application virtual machine so that programmers need not consider the capabilities of the specific CPU that will execute the program. The CLR also provides other important services such as security, memory management, and exception handling. The class library and the CLR together constitute the .NET Framework. The .NET Framework is intended to be used by most new applications created for the Windows platform. In order to be able to develop and not just run applications, it is required to have Microsoft's SDK for Windows 7 or .NET Framework 4 (or newer) or Visual Studio 2010 installed on your computer. |