.NET Framework
.net Framework is a product of Microsoft. It provides fundamental software library and runtime, Common Language Runtime (CLR), for executing programmes written in Common Language, a byte-code similar pseudo machine code. Before, source codes need compiling many times for different platforms to satisfy the requirement of end users, .net Framework eases this situation by compiling programmes written in VB.net, C#, F# and Visual C++.net to into the Common Language codes. The Common Language codes could be further compiled just in time by the CLR (Common Language Runtime) to the corresponding native machine codes for various platforms to run. In other words, compile once, run anywhere. .Net Framework also provides essential C# compilation tools and preinstalled on many mainstream Windows operating system. And Visual Studio is the main development tool for it.
| Version | CLR | Release date |
Shipped With Visual Studio |
Preinstalled with Windows | Relation to the Previous Versions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client | Server | Extension | Update | ||||
| 1.0 | 1.0 | February 13, 2002 | .NET 2002 | — | — | — | — |
| 1.1 | 1.1 | April 24, 2003 | .NET 2003 | — | 2003 | — | 1.0 |
| 2.0 | 2.0 | November 7, 2005 | 2005 | — | 2003 R2 | — | — |
| 3.0 | 2.0 | November 6, 2006 | — | Vista | 2008 | 2.0 | — |
| 3.5 | 2.0 | November 19, 2007 | 2008 | 7 | 2008 R2 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| 4.0 | 4 | April 12, 2010 | 2010 | — | — | — | — |
| 4.5 | 4 | August 15, 2012 | 2012 | 8 | 2012 | — | 4.0 |
| 4.5.1 | 4 | October 17, 2013 | 2013 | 8.1 | 2012 R2 | — | 4.5 |
| 4.5.2 | 4 | May 5, 2014 | — | — | — | — | 4.5.1 |