Quote:Original post by WhatEver
I can't wait for Visual Studio 5.0 to come out now!!!

Minor point, it's Visual Studio 8.0, or Visual Studio 2005, but not Visual Studio 5.0. I'm slow at typing. Or fast at getting distracted, that is. Anyway...

As for how .NET relates to the languages, .NET is, well, it can be a lot of things; Microsoft likes to use the term a lot. In many cases, it's just an additional word in a product name. Or just a name that indicates an overall product/marketing strategy that they're pushing. As it relates specifically to programming, it represents A) intermediate code, and B) a library of useful objects and functions. The intermediate code, MSIL, can be created from VB.NET, C#, C++/CLI, etcetera. So all the different languages, although they look different, compile into the exact same intermediate code. This intermediate code can then be compiled into true machine code later. I believe Microsoft's current approach is to compile it the first time the program is executed on a machine, but that's largely irrelevant to the main point. The C++ stuff normally, however, is just plain old C++. You have to use additional syntax to get C++/CLI, which is basically code that can compile into MSIL, and can access the .NET framework. The framework is a library of a buttload of useful stuff. It more or less attempts to replace both the Win32 API and the Standard C++ Library in terms of functionality. There are tons of things for doing what the Win32 API already did, but in a much nicer/safer form. And there are things like containers and math functions and algorithms similar to the Standard C++ Library. And some other stuff too, like to ability to compile code at runtime, the ability to work with XML files, etcetera.

".NET" is the new Microsoft branding for, well...pretty much everything. (Somebody fire all of MS marketing and sales already.) It doesn't really mean jack on its own.

The .NET Framework is MS's new age system, which I won't bother to describe more now. MS has extended the C++ language to "Managed C++" which can interoperate with the .NET Framework. However, there's no particular reason to use Managed C++ unless you do need to interoperate for some reason. FOr the most part, you can just compile plain old C++, into plain old binaries, without .NET getting involved.

Quote:Original post by WhatEver
So what you're trying to say is that .NET is a common language for all other programming lanuages to use to communicate with each other? Here's an example of what I mean:

C++ compiles to .NET DLL
C# compiles to .NET DLL
Java compiles to .NET DLL

Now if I understand you, any of the above compilers that write a .NET DLL can compile programs that can read .NET DLLS. I assume that .NET utilizes DLLs because it seams to be the only common ground programs written in different languages have.

Am I right? .NET is as confusing as hell, especially when people start using the term "managed". But now I'm starting to think managed means that you write .NET DLLs that can be shared with other programs written in other languages, although slower, very useful.

Please correct me if I'm waaaaay off track here. My feeble programming mind is trying to piece together it's own way to bring all programming languages together to try to understand this .NET stuff.

.NET is a virtual machine with a common language run-time. It's more than just languages. Managed is a term meaning that the low-level details of the program are controlled via the virtual environment (like memory and resources).

I would say upgrade just to stay current with the visual studio software. Wouldy you really need to? That's more of a question you would have to answer. I would say go for it. There are some neat features in the vs.net 2005 beta. One thing to remember is that the hardware requirements will be higher. If you have a newer system though you should be fine.