Components within the .NET Framework

COM and Components

The Microsoft platform was the first modern computing platform to support Component based development with its introduction of COM based technologies in the mid-1990s. In fact, COM is now the most widely used component software model in the world and has under lied a large majority of the new code developed for the Windows platform ever since. A component on the windows platform is just a DLL and almost every Windows developer daily uses and creates DLL's. In fact, a Component based approach is implied in the windows platform and most developers have already been using such an approach since the mid 1990s. More detail concerning COM can be found at: Microsoft COM Home.

The success of COM and component based development (CBD) on the Windows platform was due to the fact that for a wide range of problems CBD in the shape of COM technologies allowed the creation of better software.

.NET and Components

With the introduction of the .NET Framework, Microsoft has continued its tradition of CBD by making components (i.e. DLL's) a central theme of the .NET platform. Moreover, the .NET Platform has been built using internet standards such as XML and HTTP, and hence offers an open developer platform which support the reuse of data and applications within a mixed development environment. With time the component based .NET platform will become more deeply embedded within the broad range of widely deployed Microsoft products include the Windows OS and Office productivity suite. Therefore, not only will .NET Components be widely deployed but will also take a variety of forms corresponding to the variety of deployment environments. .NET Component standards which are presently available include:

System Level Components:

1. .NET Assemblies - Registered within the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) for consumption by both local and remote applications
2. ASP.NET Assemblies (i.e. bin/.dll) - The code behind an ASP.NET application
3. XML Web Service - A component which passes and received messages using XML over the HTTP protocol

Tool Level Components:

1. Excel XP/2003 Addin's - Extending the function collection available from within Excel
2. Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Addin - Extends Visual Studio .NET by making components and associated documentation available from inside the IDE
3. Borland C# Builder and Delphi Addin - Extends the functionality of these IDEs by making the component and its documentation available from within the IDE

Microsoft's Commitment to the .NET Platform

Microsoft through its executives has stated publicly several times that it is "betting the company" on the success of .NET. Below we quote from a senior Microsoft Architect as to the effect of this commitment on the Microsoft development platform.