Microsoft .NET Framework Download

For software developers working within the Windows operating system, .NET Framework makes it easy to build a variety of different applications for both desktop and mobile devices. Whether a developer wishes to create a website or a data-intensive new app, this downloadable software can dramatically shorten the time between coming up with the original idea and releasing the functional alpha version of the project. While the software can also be used with Linux and some Mac operating systems, it was originally designed for Windows.

Features

.NET Framework allows developers to quickly accomplish common programming tasks, including database connectivity, string management, file access, and data collection. The software also has built-in safety protocols that will help protect the integrity of any given project’s code. Happily, the software also prioritizes efficiency in the form of code management. Instead of sloppy lines of ineffective language, the software tends to produce only runtime-targeted code.

How to Use

Programmers can navigate to the official Microsoft website and download the latest version. Step-by-step installation instructions will appear shortly after the user has downloaded the file. The speed with which individuals can begin creating functional projects will depend on their pre-existing familiarity with programming itself. Luckily, numerous free resources about how to learn the basics of programming can be accessed online.

Pros/Cons

Using .NET Framework is like learning to speak a global language: almost every computer and operating system in the world will recognize the software’s programming instructions. This is ideal for developers who are attempting to create a project that can be accessed by as many people as possible. Plus, no matter what project a developer wishes to undertake, it’s likely that .NET Framework will have the necessary tools and managed code to help execute that project with relative ease.

The biggest disadvantage of using the software is its limited object-relational support. Because the software is object-oriented, sometimes the Entity Framework, which supports the data rather than logic underpinnings of the software, does not offer sufficient flexibility when it communicates with SQL databases. As anyone who has programmed before knows, SQL databases are often a crucial component of any working application. For those considering using it, brushing up on the differences between object versus action and data versus logic-based programming is recommended.

Conclusion

Experienced programmers will likely only benefit from downloading .NET Framework. While the software is not 100% perfect, it does offer many features that make building and executing a working application fairly straightforward.