User:Soumyasch/Incubator/.NET Class Libraries

Microsoft .NET Framework includes a set of standard class libraries. The class library organized in a hierarchy of namespaces. Most of the built in APIs are part of either System.* or Microsoft.* namespaces. The .NET class libraries are available to all .NET languages.

The .NET Framework class library is divided into two parts: the Base Class Library (BCL) and the Framework Class Library (FCL). BCL includes a small subset of the entire class library and serves as the basic API of the Common Language Runtime. The BCL classes are available in both .NET Framework as well as its alternative implementations including .NET Compact Framework, Microsoft Silverlight and Mono. The BCL Class libraries include:

• System
• System.CodeDom
• System.Collection
• System.Diagnostics
• System.Globalization
• System.IO
• System.Resources
• System.Text
• System.Text.RegularExpressions

The FCL includes an expanded set of libraries, including WinForms, ADO.NET, ASP.NET as well as several other namespaces. It consists of around 2500 classes and interfaces in around 240 namespaces. It encapsulates a large number of common functions, such as file reading and writing, graphic rendering, database interaction, and XML document manipulation. It is much larger in scope than standard libraries for languages like C++, and comparable in scope to the standard libraries of Java.

System.* Namespaces

Libraries in the System.*</namespace>

Namespace	.NET Fx	.NET CF	.NET MF	SL 2.0+	Mono
System	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
This namespace includes the core needs for programming. It includes base types like String, DateTime, Boolean, and so forth, support for environments such as the console, math functions, and base classes for attributes, exceptions, and arrays.
						System.Linq	3.5	No	No	Yes
Defines the IQueryable<T> interface and related methods, that lets LINQ providers to be plugged in.