The CLI: The Basis of .NET’s Platform Independence
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the .NET platform is not limited to the Windows family of operating
systems. To understand how this is possible, there is yet another acronym to learn: CLI.
Microsoft has submitted specifications on the C# programming language, the CLR, and a subset of the .NET base
class libraries to ECMA (http://msdn.microsoft.com/net/ecma). Collectively, these documents are termed the
"Common Language Infrastructure" or CLI. This provides the means for external (non-MS) companies and
individuals to create custom builds of the .NET platform.
This tutorial will focus on Microsoft’s implementation of the C# language and the .NET platform. However, it
is worth pointing out some of the current alternatives.
The Mono project (http://www.mono-project.com) is an open source distribution of the C# language and .NET
platform to the Unix-based operating system (including Mac OS X).
Mono includes, among other things, a C# compiler, a VB compiler, and implementations of Windows Forms,
ASP.NET, ADO.NET, and the base class libraries.
Assemblies built using Mono are ECMA compliant and, therefore, can be executed on any OS supporting the .
NET platform.
Portable .NET is another open source CLI implementation (http://www.dotgnu.org). Like Mono, Portable .NET
can be used to build desktop or Web-aware applications. Like Mono, assemblies built using Portable .NET can
be executed on any OS hosting the .NET platform. Portable .NET attempts to have the farthest reach possible
regarding the operating systems it will run on.
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the .NET platform is not limited to the Windows family of operating
systems. To understand how this is possible, there is yet another acronym to learn: CLI.
Microsoft has submitted specifications on the C# programming language, the CLR, and a subset of the .NET base
class libraries to ECMA (http://msdn.microsoft.com/net/ecma). Collectively, these documents are termed the
"Common Language Infrastructure" or CLI. This provides the means for external (non-MS) companies and
individuals to create custom builds of the .NET platform.
This tutorial will focus on Microsoft’s implementation of the C# language and the .NET platform. However, it
is worth pointing out some of the current alternatives.
The Mono project (http://www.mono-project.com) is an open source distribution of the C# language and .NET
platform to the Unix-based operating system (including Mac OS X).
Mono includes, among other things, a C# compiler, a VB compiler, and implementations of Windows Forms,
ASP.NET, ADO.NET, and the base class libraries.
Assemblies built using Mono are ECMA compliant and, therefore, can be executed on any OS supporting the .
NET platform.
Portable .NET is another open source CLI implementation (http://www.dotgnu.org). Like Mono, Portable .NET
can be used to build desktop or Web-aware applications. Like Mono, assemblies built using Portable .NET can
be executed on any OS hosting the .NET platform. Portable .NET attempts to have the farthest reach possible
regarding the operating systems it will run on.
Common Language Infrastructure (CLI)
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Table of Contents
| C# Tutorial | C#.NET Tutorial | CLI Tutorial Copyright (c) 2008. Intertech, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This information is to be used exclusively as an online learning aid. Any attempts to copy, reproduce, or use for training is strictly prohibited. |
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