Datasheet

related technologies, Windows Forms are still a viable option for creating a user interface with speed
and ease. Just remember to factor your code so that the user interface logic is separate from the business
logic and the data access code. Doing so will allow you to migrate your application to the browser at
some point in the future if you need to do so. Also, it is likely that Windows Forms will remain the dom-
inant user interface for applications for use in homes and small businesses for a long time to come. In
addition to this, the new smart client features of Windows Forms (the ability to easily work in an
online/offline mode) will bring a new round of exciting applications.
Summary
This chapter has covered a lot of ground, briefly reviewing important aspects of the .NET Framework and
C#’s relationship to it. It started by discussing how all languages that target .NET are compiled into
Microsoft intermediate language (IL) before this is compiled and executed by the Common Language
Runtime (CLR). This chapter also discussed the roles of the following features of .NET in the compilation
and execution process:
❑ Assemblies and .NET base classes
❑ COM components
❑ JIT compilation
❑ Application domains
❑ Garbage Collection
Figure 1-4 provides an overview of how these features come into play during compilation and execution.
You learned about the characteristics of IL, particularly its strong data typing and object-orientation,
and how these characteristics influence the languages that target .NET, including C#. You also learned
how the strongly typed nature of IL enables language interoperability, as well as CLR services such as
garbage collection and security.
Finally, you learned how C# can be used as the basis for applications that are built upon several .NET
technologies, including ASP.NET.
Chapter 2 discusses how to write code in C#.
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