An important concept behind the implementation of .NET is standardization.  One of the most important aspects of any web application, is their ability to communicate with other web applications.  Flexibility and interoperability are essential on the internet, and in demand by savvy software users.  Standards like XML, SOAP, and UDDI help facilitate this, and it’s essential that .NET work with those standards to make communication seamless between them all.

Going mobile with our computers in the for of smartphones, cell phones, and handheld gaming presents an interesting dilemma to software retailers and developers.  Where should the information used by these devices be used, and how many places should it be stored.  Not to mention, how will it be stored, and later accessed.  .NET address many of these questions, and provides solution through  databases like SQL Server, NTFS and other services.

If there’s one thing that the internet has taught software solution providers, it’s to deliver updates rapidly and frequently.  We like to know that our software is the latest version available, without of course dealing with buggy software.  .NET allows for rapid delivery of application upgrading, on whatever platform the software needs to run.  That includes mobile devices, as well as desktop based workstations.

Apart from green technologies, identity theft has to be one of the major touch points when it comes to technology.  Being mobile and dynamic in our use of technology is great but it also opens up a lot of avenues for the unscrupulous to enter.  Tougher authentication services are key to a successful .NET application.  Not so much that we inconvenience the valid user, but to the point that they feel comfortable trusting their personal date to the applications.

Communication is certainly key to some of the biggest and most successful applications out there.  Often known as killer apps.  The first of those being obviously eMail.  Who would have predicted at the beginning of the internet boom, that something as simple and plain as eMail would be the most widely used application online.  That has of coursed blossomed into other useful communication tools like chatting and texting.  You know .NET can be relied on to support these types of communication tools.

While calendaring in my opinion has never been successfully solved by any application on the market.  Free or paid for.  They always seem cludgy to work with.  That’s no reason to ignore them, and tools like Outlook will continue to try and fix these problems as part of the building blocks of .NET.

Just a few of the requirements for .NET, were that it would play well with HTTP, SOAP, UDDI, and XML.  What it really provides, is a framework to build upon.  While there was some confusion early on, about it actually being an operating system, that is definitely not the case.  It is actually tool to deliver software solutions in a web based world.  Which is afterall, where the future of Software As A Service (SAAS) seems to be going.  Slower than initially envisioned, but none the less, it is still moving in that direction.

The framework that is .NET, includes a number of libraries to perform many base functions.  ASP.NET, and ADO.NET are just a few of those libraries.  One of the really strong aspects of .NET, is it’s ability to incorporate existing languages like Visual Basic, JScript, C# and C++ under it’s umbrella.  Even older but still popular languages like COBOL are supported.  Future enhancements will incorporate other languages into the framework.  All with the intended purposes of running applications on the web.

Microsoft  also upgraded Visual Studio with a .NET version when .NET was initially released.  It provides several new features for the developer, and better integration between the wide number of languages supported by the framework.  Being a Microsoft product, you know that it will integrate exceedingly well with current and future versions of Windows.  It does not to surprisingly,  reveal a shift in Microsoft’s primary focus away from the single stand alone PC environment, and a leap into network based computing.  That not only includes networked PCs and laptops, but also mobile devices such as smartphones, cell phones, handheld gaming consoles, and other mobile computing devices.

With Google moving into the software arena, it’s not surprising to see Microsoft strengthen it’s arsenal of internet based software development tools.  The hard part for Microsoft will be to compete with companies like Google and Apple that are seen as true innovators in a very competitive field.