Purpose	A standard software framework for Windows-based applications
Proprietor	Microsoft
Platforms	Windows 98 and up
Latest Release	3.5 SP1
Components	Common Language Runtime (CLR): the runtime environment that handles things like memory management, garbage collection, and exception throwing Libraries

 

Principles

• language independence as provided by the CLR (like Java’s JRE)
• the base class library (BCL) common across all languages
• security
• platform independence / portability

Notes & Terms

• CLR is Microsoft’s implementation of the CLI (Common Language Infrastructure)
• .NET assemblies is the CIL (Common Intermediate Language) like Java’s bite-code
• CLR uses mark-and-sweep garbage collection, it is generational, and it runs only when memory is tight
• the garbage collector pauses execution when running