User FAQs

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1) What is .NET ?
.NET is a software platform that can be used to build lots of different types of applications.
There are two main components to the .NET framework; the CLR (Common Language RunTime) and the hierarchical Class Library
The components that make up the .NET platfrom are collectively called the .NET framework

2) What is the Base Core Library (BCL) ?
This is just another name for the .NET Library that provides all the fundamental classes and types for the .NET platform.

3) What is the mscorlib.dll ?
This file is the Multi-Language Standard Common Object Runtime Library and is the primary assembly for the .NET Framework.
This contains most of the common .NET Library namespaces, for example:

System 
System.Collections 
System.Diagnostics 
System.IO 
System.Text 

4) What is .NET Core ?
The .NET Framework was the original .NET platform used for building Windows and Windows Server applications.
The .NET Core is the cross-platform and open source implementation of .NET redesigned for cross platform and cloud.

5) What is the difference between managed and unmanaged code?
Managed code is executed by the Common Language Runtime (CLR) of the .NET Framework.
Managed code is code that targets .NET and which contains extra 'meta data' information.
Whilst both managed and unmanaged code can run in the runtime, only managed code contains the information that allows the runtime envoronemnt to guarantee safe execution and interoperability.

6) What is the Common Type System (CTS) ?
This defines how types are declared, used and managed in the common language runtime.