.NET Framework
.net Framework is a product of Microsoft. It provides fundamental software libraries and runtime, Common Language Runtime (CLR), for executing programmes written in Common Language, a byte-code similar pseudo machine code. Before, source code needs compiling for each of different platforms to run on desktops of end users. .Net Framework eases this situation by compiling programmes written in VB.net, C#, F#, Visual C++.net and so on into only one runtime image written in Common Language. This runtime image would be further compiled just-in-time by the CLR (Common Language Runtime) to the corresponding native machine code for various platforms (IA-32, Itanium, AMD64 and ARMv7) to run. In other words, compile once, run anywhere. .Net Framework also provides essential C# and VB.net compilation tools and preinstalled on many mainstream Windows releases. Visual Studio is the major development tool for it and Visual Studio 2013 Community Edition is the first full-featured and out-of-charge edition for personal development.
| 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 |