Support and Information Resources for Microsoft's .NET Framework

Article
03/22/2010

After getting through the initial set of current Microsoft products, we come to the true beginning of the alphabet. Actually, we'll start with punctuation: with the "dot" as in .NET.

The .NET Framework to be exact.

This is the software framework that provides Windows developers with an extensible common library that can be utilized for developing applications running on a variety of screens – applications and services for apps on mobile and rich client devices, the Web and the cloud…

"The .NET Framework is Microsoft's platform for building applications that have visually stunning user experiences, seamless and secure communication, and the ability to model a range of business processes. The .Net Framework consists of:

Common Language Runtime – provides an abstraction layer over the operating system

Base Class Libraries – pre-built code for common low-level programming tasks

Development frameworks and technologies – reusable, customizable solutions for larger programming tasks

"By providing you with a comprehensive and consistent programming model and a common set of APIs, the .NET Framework helps you to build applications that work the way you want, in the programming language you prefer, across software, services, and devices."

(OK, enough of the sell. If you're inclined, you can download the .NET Framework 4 Release Candidate from here.)

As with all good things, for support let's start at the .NET Framework Support page. There you can Search the forums for an answer to your question, or ask a question if you can’t find the answer, If you are looking for an answer to a question, you can use search to find a resource, ask a question in the forums, or contact Microsoft support for help. If you are looking for a download, please go to the downloads page.