Now we will go in detail about the various components that build the .NET framework and its functionalities. Common Language Runtime At the core of the .NET platform is the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The CLR simplifies application development, provides a robust and secure execution environment, supports multiple languages and simplifies application deployment and management. The diagram below provides more details on the CLR's features:
In this section we will cover some of the more significant features provided to .NET applications by the CLR. These include:
Before moving further let us discuss briefly about Common Language Infrastructure(CLI) according to Standardizing Information and Communication Systems(ECMA) specifications. The Microsoft Shared Source CLI Implementation is a file archive containing working source code for the ECMA-334 (C#) and ECMA-335 (Common Language Infrastructure, or CLI) standards. In addition to the CLI implementation and the C# compiler, the Shared Source CLI Implementation from Microsoft called ROTOR contains tools, utilities, additional Framework classes, and samples.
For the benefit of existing codebases, the CLI standard also takes pains to describe in detail how unmanaged software can co-exist safely with managed components, enabling seamless sharing of computing resources and responsibilities. Like the C runtime, the CLI has been designed to exploit the power of diverse platforms, as well as to complement existing tools, languages, and runtimes. Let's look at a few of the likely ways that the Shared Source CLI Implementation might interest you:
- There are significant differences in implementation between this code and the code for Microsoft's commercial CLR implementation, both to facilitate portability and to make the code base more approachable. If you are a developer who is interested in knowing how JIT compilers and garbage collectors work, or of how Microsoft Visual Studio works on your behalf under the covers, this distribution will definitely hold your attention!
- The distribution will help you in creating courseware around interesting topics that can be illustrated by this codebase.
- The distribution will help you in implementing your own version of the CLI and it also helps you in understanding the way the compilers and tools target the CLI.
