How .NET is Different from Traditional Programming

Monday, 7 October 2013

How .NET is Different from Traditional Programming

The difference is clearly tabulated below:

Traditional Development:

- Your program will be compiled into an assembly language code that is very specific to the platform in which you are running your application.

- Assembly language code will contain API calls specific to the current application platform.

- This assembly language code is then converted into machine code.

- Optimization is done by the compiler itself at compile time.

- The compiler is not static. It performs both compilation as well as optimization.

- Libraries used by your program are linked only after generating the machine code.

- Now the program is ready for execution by the operating system. The program will directly call APIs of the operating system.

.NET Application Development:

- Using .NET Framework, your program will be compiled into an intermediate language representation called MSIL (Microsoft Intermediate Language).

- MSIL code will not contain any API calls specific to any platform.

- This MSIL code is then converted into machine code at runtime using CLR (Common Language Runtime).

- Optimization is done at runtime by CLR.

- The compiler used in this process is static meaning that it checks only for syntax and the necessary semantics.

- Libraries used by your program are linked even before generating MSIL, but it is linked in an un-compiled form. This will be compiled by the compiler and it will be used by the CLR while executing the program.

- The program will not directly call APIs of the operating system. Instead CLR will act as a mediator. CLR will call API's of operating system and the result of execution will be returned to program.

- Automatic memory management and garbage collection is done by CLR.

-.NET Framework Class Library provides object oriented libraries.