.Net Framework ….. The Evolution
.net 1.0: Released in the year 2002. With basic support to web and windows development
The .net 2.0 framework is considered to the biggest step in itself. There is a basic question around our minds about the difference in the .net framework till now.
This is simple effect to clear few of the confusions.
What’s new in .net 2.0 framework
Vs.
What’s new in ASP.net 2.0?????
Let’s first see few of the new features in .net 2.0 framework:
1. 64 bit support:
New support for 64-bit applications enables users to build managed code libraries or easily use unmanaged code libraries on 64-bit computer
2. Access Control List Support :
An access control list (ACL) is used to grant or revoke permission to access a resource on a computer. New classes have been added to the .NET Framework that allows managed code to create and modify an ACL. New members that use an ACL have been added to the I/O, registry, and threading classes.
3. ADO.NET
ü User-defined types (UDT)
ü Asynchronous database operations
ü XML data types
ü Large value types
ü Snapshot isolation
4. Console Class Additions
5. Data Protection API
The new Data Protection API (DPAPI) includes four methods that allow applications to encrypt passwords, keys, connections strings, and so on, without calling platform invoke. You can also encrypt blocks of memory on computers running Windows Server 2003 or later operating systems.
6. FTP Support
7. Generics and Generic Collections
The .NET Framework 2.0 introduces generics to allow you to create flexible, reusable code. Language features collectively known as generics act as templates that allow classes, structures, interfaces, methods, and delegates to be declared and defined with unspecified, or generic type parameters instead of specific types. Actual types are specified later when the generic is used. Several namespaces, such as
System Namespace and
System.Collections.Generic, provide generic classes and methods. The new System.Collections.Generic namespace provides support for strongly typed collections. System.Nullable<T> is a standard representation of optional values. Generics are supported in three languages: Visual Basic, C#, and C++.
There are lot other new features like:
1. I/O Enhancements
2. .NET Framework Remoting
3. Security Exceptions
4. Threading Improvements
5. XML-Related Features
What's New in ASP.NET
The Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0 includes significant enhancements to ASP.NET in virtually all areas. ASP.NET has been improved to provide out-of-the-box support for the most common Web application situations.
Specific areas in which ASP.NET has been improved are:
1. Productivity.
You can easily and quickly create ASP.NET Web pages and applications using new ASP.NET server controls and existing controls with new features. New areas such as membership, personalization, and themes provide system-level functionality that would normally require extensive developer coding. Core development scenarios, particularly data, have been addressed by new data controls, no-code binding, and smart data-display controls.
2. Flexibility and extensibility. Many ASP.NET features are extensible so that you can easily incorporate custom features into applications. The ASP.NET provider model, for example, provides pluggable support for different data sources.
3. Performance. Features such as precompilation, configurable caching, and SQL cache invalidation allow you to optimize the performance of your Web applications.
Security. It is now easier than ever to add authentication and authorization to your Web applications.
4. Hosting. ASP.NET includes new features that make it easier to manage a hosting environment and create more opportunities for hosters to add value.
5. Completeness. New and existing features work in concert to allow you to create end-to-end scenarios that address real-world Web development challenges.
The following sections of this topic describe changes made in different areas of ASP.NET:
1. Web Site Management: You can easily manage application settings using the Web Site Administration Tool.
I. New Administration Features and Tools
II. Reserved Folders for Special Functionality
III. App_Code
IV. App_Data
V. Precompiling Web Sites for Error Checking and Deployment
VI. Navigation
You can add site navigation to your Web sites by defining a site map (typically an XML file). You can then use new navigation controls such as the
TreeView and
SiteMapPath
2. Page Design
I. Consistent Layout using Master Pages
II. Themes for Consistent Appearance
III. New Code-Behind Model for Pages
IV. User-Customizable Web Pages
V. User-Specific Values
VI. New Caching Features
VII. Enhanced Client-Side Functionality
3. Controls
ASP.NET features many improvements to Web server controls, including both enhancements to existing controls and a selection of new controls.
General Control Improvements
A major area of enhancement in ASP.NET 2.0 is in the controls you use to create ASP.NET Web pages. General improvements to controls include:
· By default, controls now generate markup that is compatible with the XHMTL 1.1. standard.
· All controls support adaptive rendering, and can emit markup that is appropriate for the requesting browser.
· All data controls can use either the new data-binding model with data source controls, or can continue to use the model used in earlier versions of ASP.NET.
· All controls support themes and skins so that you can customize their appearance using an ASP.NET theme.
· You can use device filtering with many control properties, specifying different property values for different devices. When the control is rendered, the appropriate property value is set based on the requesting browser.
· Validator controls can now be grouped, which allows you to selectively enable validation for some controls.
· Improvements to individual controls such as the Label control, ListBox control, and others to add functionality often requested by developers. New Controls
ASP.NET offers a greater selection of controls to help you create fully featured Web pages much more quickly. You can now take advantage of the following controls:
· Data. The GridView control is a highly capable data grid that can display and edit data, page, and sort, all without code. · Navigation. You can add navigation paths (also known as breadcrumbs) to pages with the SiteMapPath control and display a site map using the TreeView control.
· Security. You can authenticate users with a suite of login controls that allow you to get and validate user credentials, display custom output for logged-in users, and more. For more information, see Security. · Web Parts. A new set of Web Part controls allow you to create portal pages that users can personalize at run time. For example, you can create a Web Part that allows a user to enter a custom value such as a postal code and get localized weather reports.
· Client behavior. New controls provide ASP.NET server control functionality for tasks that previously were handled only by HTML elements. These include the FileUpload control, ImageMap control, and the HiddenField control. The new Wizard control allow you to create a page with multiple panels that step the user through multi-part forms.
4. Data
ASP.NET includes substantially improved support for working with data in your Web applications.
Data Source Controls
For binding data to controls on Web pages, you can now use data source controls, which encapsulate connections, query commands, and parameters into a single control.
ASP.NET includes data source controls that work with a variety of back-end data sources, including Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, XML files, Web services, FrontPage site maps, and business objects that return data sets. All data source controls support the same basic object model, giving you a consistent way to work with data regardless of its source.
Data source controls can automatically fetch data and manage it when the page runs. You no longer need to write code to execute commands and manage datasets for common data scenarios. However, if your application requires it, you still have access to the lower-level data functions exposed by ADO.NET.
To pass parameters to data source controls, you can configure the controls to draw parameters values from other controls, Session state, query strings, or cookies; in addition, you can set parameter values programmatically.
Middle-Tier Data Access
Data Display Controls
· The GridView , DetailsView , FormView controls to display and edit data. (The GridView control supersedes the DataGrid control from previous versions of ASP.NET.) · The TreeView control to display hierarchical information from XML files, sitemap files, and relational data sources.
· The SiteMapPath and Menu controls to provide data-bound support for navigation. XML Support
· You can use XML data in a variety of ways in ASP.NET. An XML data source control exposes
Connection String Storage
· To enhance Web site security, you can store connection strings in a dedicated section of the configuration file.
5. Security
New ASP.NET features provide built-in support for authenticating and authorizing users. ASP.NET membership manages authentication, providing facilities for validating user credentials and helping users manage their passwords.
I suggest everyone to have a look at the below link for more practical details
Guys please let me know if the post helped you in understanding or re-gathering your thoughts about .net 2.0
