To help
create languages for the .NET Framework, Microsoft created the Common
Language Infrastructure specification (CLI). The CLI describes the
features that each language must provide in order to use the .NET
Framework and comm6n language runtime and to interoperate with
components written in other languages. If a language implements the
necessary functionality, it is said to be .NET-compliant.
The
.NET Framework was developed so that it could support a theoretically
infinite number of development languages. Currently, more than 20
development languages work with the .NET Framework. C# is the
programming language specifically designed for the .NET platform, but
C++ and Visual Basic have also been upgraded to fully support the .NET
framework. The following are the commonly used languages provided by the
Microsoft:
• VC++
• VB.NET
.C#
• J#
• JScript .NET
Many
third parties are writing compilers for other languages with .NET
support. With CLR, Microsoft has adopted a much liberal policy.
Microsoft has them selves evolved/ developed/ modified many of their
programming languages which compliant with .NET CLR.
VC++
Although
Visual C++ (VC++) , has undergone changes to incorporate .NET; yet VC++
also maintains its status being a platform dependent programming. Many
new MFC classes have been added a programmer can choose between using
MFC and compiling the program into a platform specific executable file;
or using .NET framework classes and compile into platform independent
MISL file. A programmer can also specify (via directives) when ever he
uses "unsafe" (the code that by passes CLR, e.g. the use of pointers)
code.
VB.NET
Out
of ALL .NET languages, Visual Basic.NET (VB.NET) is one language that
has probably undergone into the most of changes. Now VB.NET may be
considered a complete Object- Oriented Language (as opposed to its
previous "Half Object Based and Half Object Oriented" status).
Visual
Basic .NET provides substantial language innovations over previous
versions of visual basic. Visual Basic .NET supports inheritance,
constructors, polymorphism, constructor overloading, structured
exceptions, stricter type checking, free threading, and many other
features. There is only one form of assignment: noLet of set methods.
New rapid application development (BAD) features, such as XML Designer,
Server Explorer, and Web Forms designer, are available in Visual Basic
from Visual Studio .NET. With this release, Visual Basic Scripting
Edition provides full Visual Basic functionality.
C#
Microsoft
has also developed a brand new programming language C# (C Sharp). This
language makes full use of .NET. It is a pure object oriented language. A
Java programmer may find most aspects of this language which is
identical to Java. If you are a new comer to Microsoft Technologies -
this language is the easiest way to get on the .NET band wagon. While
VC++ and VB enthusiast would stick to VC.NET and VB.NET; they would
probably increase their productivity by switching to C#. C# is developed
to make full use of all the intricacies of .NET. The learning curve of
C# for a Java programmer is minimal. Microsoft has also come up with a
The Microsoft Java Language Conversion Assistant-which is a tool that
automatically converts existing Java-language source code into C# for
developers who want to move their existing applications to the Microsoft
.NET Framework.
J#
Microsoft
has also developed J# (Java Sharp). C# is similar to Java, but it is
not entirely' identical. It is for this reason that Microsoft has
developed J# - the syntax of J# is identical to Visual J++. Microsoft's
growing legal battle with Sun, over Visual J++ - forced Microsoft to
discontinue Visual J++. So J# is Microsoft's indirect continuation of
Visual J++. It has been reported that porting a medium sized Visual J++
project, entirely to J# takes only a few days of effort.
JScript.NET
Jscript.NET
is rewritten to be fully .NET aware. It includes support for classes,
inheritance, types and compilation, and it provides improved performance
and productivity features. JScript.NET is also integrated with visual
Studio .NET. You can take advantage of any .NET Framework class in
JScript .NET.
Third-party languages
Microsoft
encourages third party vendors to make use of Visual Studio. Net.
Third, party vendors can write compilers for different languages ~ that
compile the language to MSIL
(Microsoft
Intermediate Language). These vendors need not develop their own
development environment. They can easily use Visual Studio.NET as an IDE
for their .NET compliant language. A vendor has already produced
COBOL.NET that integrates with Visual Studio.NET and compiles into MSIL.
Theoretically it would then be possible to come up with Java compiler
that compiles into MSIL, instead of Java Byte code; and uses CLR instead
of JVM. However Microsoft has not pursued this due to possible legal
action by Sun.
Several
third party languages are supporting the .NET platform. These languages
include APL, COBOL, Pascal, Eiffel, Haskell, ML, Oberon, Perl, Python,
Scheme and Smalltalk.
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