If you are a mobile app developer, or are close to this field, you surely are familiar with the .NET framework.
.NET Framework was made by Microsoft.The main idea of the development of the .NET was to ensure the freedom of the developer by allowing him to create different applications that can run on various types of devices and in many kinds of environments.
This structure consists of a large number of development tools and technologies, and by using them a developer can create various types of applications. The possibilities vary from common desktop applications and websites to solutions for mobile platforms and computer games.
.NET helps the development of online stores, forums and other services. This framework is capable of realizing full interaction with the site: organizing work with a database, accepting and processing user data. It also takes care of the full interaction of the user with the site. Of course, if properly written and mastered by the attentive developers.
Framework is not a magical instrument that will create applications automatically. You will need a good developer to master this framework. For instance, velvetech.com highlights the skills a successful developer ought to have.
ALT: A big laptop on a purple phone with lines on the screen. A person sits on a keyboard of a laptop with another laptop.
How to identify a professional .NET developer? The answer is easy – they follow all of the main principles of developing on this platform.
Here is the list of the top principles to look out for.
- Mastering the programming languages
The whole framework is based on the Common Language Runtime (CLR), which is suitable for different programming languages.
C# (or C Sharp) programming language is one of the most used in the .NET. It is the most popular multi-paradigm language nowadays, which was also developed by Microsoft. It was intended to be a simple and modern language, but its learning and mastering also takes a handful of time. The designers of this language claimed that it was designed to fix the flaws of the already existing languages.
Learning how to use C# will be easier, if you are already familiar with C and C++.
Another programming tools that are used in the .NET framework are F# language, or Visual Basic. F# was designed as an application of the heart of another programming language – OCaml by the developers of .NET.
Developers also note its similarities with Java. In any case, you should be a pro at this language to use .NET framework.
- Comprehension Of The Operation Principle
The principle of operation is quite simple, although it looks confusing. Mostly because of the similar names: CLR, CLI and CIL.
CLI (Common Language Infrastructure) defines how .NET works (as well as other similar frameworks like Mono and DotGNU).
In the CLI, each language has its own compiler. But programs are compiled not into native code (executable), but into intermediate bytecode CIL (Common Intermediate Language).
When you run a program written in one of the languages of the .NET family, its bytecode is passed down the chain to the Common Language Runtime (CLR). There, this bytecode is compiled into native and already begins to be executed.
By understanding this basic principle, a developer is capable of learning new architectural solutions and sees one of the best implementations of the DRY rule. This will help to write more elegant apps that do not repeat code or individual modules.
- Interoperability
The .NET platform provides a lot of back support. Suppose that you have an application built on an older version of the .NET Framework, say 2.0. And if you were trying to run the same application on a machine that had a later version of the .NET Framework installed, say 3.5. The app will still work. This is because with each release, Microsoft ensures that older versions of the framework will play well with the latest version. That way, a developer does not have to worry that his app will be viewed differently on different devices. The framework takes care of it.
- Portability
.NET-based applications can smoothly run on any Windows platform. Developers don’t have to design an app for each platform individually.
Plus, recently, Microsoft is also planning to make Microsoft products work on other platforms such as iOS and Linux. The compatibility of .NET with the new Apple M1 processor is a part of the huge multi-year Microsoft development plan, as their blog on GitHub says. Thus, the principle of portability has to be borne in mind by the developers – their app has to look equally good on all of the devices.
- Memory Management
The .NET platform has the opportunity to see the resources that are not used by the running program. It will then release those resources accordingly. This is done using a program called Garbage Collector, which runs as part of the .NET Framework.
The garbage collector runs at regular intervals and continues to check which system resources are not being used and releases them accordingly. This tool is a hand to a developer, that nevertheless has to be attentive to the system resources.
