Omaha SPIN

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Omaha SPIN Sponsors
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.NET overview

• Kent Tegels
• HDR, Inc.

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Introduction

• Senior Systems Analyst for HDR, Inc.
• Childrens Hospital
• First National Technology Center
• Rigge/Criss Center at CU
• West Dodge Expressway
• Contributing author for Wrox Press of the UK
• .NET topics
• Data Access topics

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Overview

• Who, what, when, where, why and how
• Development tools for .NET
• What changes with .NET
• Where .NET is going
• Tools and Resources
• Omaha.NET user groups

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Who should be interested in .NET?

• Architects
• Can make n-tier development easier, especially in
  mixed environments with firewalls.
• Easiest way to develop Web Services on Windows
  platforms
• Developers
• Much better support for major Object Oriented
  program concepts
• Consolidation of COM, MFC and different runtimes
  into a single runtime
• Unified tool for developing in any supported
  environment (web, desktop, compact devices,
  embedded and mobile devices)
• Managers
• Applications and systems should have a greater
  reach
• Skills more readily transfer from one environment
  to the other
• Should be more reliable and secure

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What is .NET?

• Application Runtime Environment
• Consists of several parts
• Common Language Runtime that executes code
• System Namespace Class Library
• XML and ADO.NET
• Webform/Winforms for UI
• Common Type System
• Programming Languages
• Add-on class libraries

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Geeky Bits

• All .NET code is two-phase compiled
• Higher-level languages are user-compiled to
  Intermediate Language (MSIL)
• MSIL is, more or less, a CPU-independent assembly
  language
• MSIL is what gets deployed to target computers
• The Common Language Runtime just-in-time
  compiles MSIL into executable code on the host in
  memory
• Three effects
• Write-once, deploy most places
• Application start-up can be slower
• ASP.NET much faster than ASP partly due to the
  compile vs. interpreted effect

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When did .NET Evolve?

• Stone Ages (1980s-1990s)
• Distinct VB and C/C products
• DOS is good enough
• Windows XX (1990s-2001)
• Visual Studio for VB/C
• Visual Interdev for ASP
• Embedded VB/VC
• No good tools for mobile
• Tightly integrated with Windows (registry)
• Windows is good enough, but hey, you can browse
  with Netscape

• .NET Era (2001 and forward)
• Single library and runtime
• Unified Development Environment
• No component dependence on the registry
• Few Inter-op issues
• ASP.NET Improvements
• Windows is a great server and a great client,
  but we know you use other stuff.

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Where do we see .NET being used?

• Mostly-Microsoft shops
• Fastest path to Web Services
• Fastest path to compact devices and mobile
  platforms
• Dramatically improved Web applications
• Mixed shops
• Fast path to Web Services
• Inter-op between platforms
• Potential for uniform development tools across
  platforms
• Non-Microsoft shops
• Need to integrate with some MS technologies
• Potentially faster and lower cost development
  efforts

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How do we see it being used?

• 2003-2004
• Faster and more robust Web applications
• Development of mobile applications
• Initial Web Service offerings
• 2004-2006
• Development of 64-bit and IPv6 Applications
• Development of compact device applications
• Development of embedded applications
• Second generation Web Services
• 2006
• Significant portion of all applications based Web
  Service consumption
• Virtually all MS applications based on .NET

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Why did MSFT create .NET?

• Get in the game early with Web Services
• Get/increase market share in device, mobile and
  embedded markets
• Prepare for 64-bit CPUs
• Prepare for IPv6
• Unify development APIs and Frameworks
• Solve problems with COM (IDL and Registry)

• Improve performance and reliability of ASP
• Make Web Development more consistent with other
  Microsoft tools and technologies
• Make C and VB more equal in terms of power and
  reach
• Lessen the dependence of the development tools on
  the operating system

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Tools Visual Studio.NET

• Primary development tool for .NET is Visual
  Studio.NET 2003
• Integrated editor, compiler, linker and visual
  step-through debugger for all support platforms
• Supports server-object browsing and managing
• IntelliSense provides automatic completion and
  class browsing
• GUI for referencing Web Services
• ASP.NET fully supports code-behind concept of
  separating code from markup
• Supports automatic wire-up of event handlers
• Recommend going with at least the Professional
  SKU, Architect SKU appropriate for some
  high-end developers and designers
• Prices range from 145 to 2,400

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Tools Web Matrix

• Tool specifically for building ASP.NET Web Sites
  and Services
• Community developed and supported
• Takes about 5 of the disk real estate that
  VS.NET takes
• VB or C only
• No Intellisense, no step-through debugging and
  can only be used to ASP.NET applications
• I tend to think of this as being Visual Interdev
  for .NET
• Free download from http//www.asp.net/webmatrix/
• You can also get MSDE (SQL Server for the
  desktop) from that site.

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Tools Supporting Cast

• Visio for Visual Studio.NET
• Low-cost way to get started with UML and other
  modern modeling tools
• Can generate the code for classes from object
  stereotypes
• Can also reverse-engineer projects and build
  models from them
• Visual Source Safe
• Low-cost way to get started with source code
  management
• Check-in, check-out, branching, etc
• Can be integrated with a Web Site to provide
  management of files there-in.
• MSDN Library
• 1.5 Gigabytes of documentation, support
  documents, examples and other helpful content
• Integrates as F1-help with Visual Studio.NET

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What changes for architects?

• Web Services become
• the best way to develop shared and reusable
  components
• an ideal way to share information between
  heterogeneous systems
• easier to develop and test quickly
• somewhat easier to secure (transport and AA)
• Extended device reach
• Cellphones and PDAs
• SmartPhones
• SmartDevices
• Sustainability
• More interface based than MSFT previously
  enabled
• Fewer concerns with upgrading to 64-bit CPU
  architectures
• Can start on IPv6-based applications today

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What changes for most developers?

• .NET itself means
• you dont have to deal with different
  frameworks and APIs
• have a rich set of functionality provided by
  the System library
• language choice is more driven by personal
  preferences
• Skills transfer easily, effectively and
  efficiently between different platforms
• Visual Studio.NET means
• Uniform IDE for all supported platforms
• Consistent metaphors between platforms

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What changes for Web developers?

• In ASP, the page is processed on each call. No
  persistent footprint
• In ASP.NET the page defines and creates a
  persistent class on the server
• ASP.NET pages are logical forms that persist on
  the server as compiled code
• Fields and controls use events to post
  information back to the server at an atomic
  level, rather than the whole form at once.
• Client-side scripting not in favor with ASP.NET
  because it does a lot of scripting on its own.
• ASP.NET is compiled at runtime
• First hit on site incurs compile overhead
• Everything else is blisteringly fast

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What changes for mobile developers?

• Microsoft developers finally have an out-of-the
  box solution for developing cellphone-factored
  applications
• Adaptive Rendering takes the pain of figuring
  out what specific devices support out of your
  scope
• With VS.NET 2003, integrated out-of-the-box.
• Supports about three times as many devices than
  the Mobile Information Toolkit did in VS.NET
  2002
• Wish list provide an integrated cellphone
  emulator out-of-the box!
• Microsoft Mobile Explorer at http//www.microsoft.
  com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID226cc032-e1ec-
  4043-bfe6-09e5b314561fDisplayLangen

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What changes for device developers?

• Goal is to unify the half-dozen toolkits, SDKs
  and so for devices into a single framework and
  use a single IDE to develop for them.
• Offer the same features to both VB and C
  developers
• Out-of-the-box emulator built into the IDE
• Full language support (not just a subset)
• Slimmed down version of the framework deployed
  to devices

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Where .NET is going?

• Just had our first refresh of the technology
  (version 1.1/2003) about five weeks ago
• Windows Server 2003 Server has dramatically
  enhanced performance with 1.1 compared to Windows
  2000 and 1.0
• Integrated mobile and compact device platforms
  supported out-of-the-box
• Side-by-Side execution of 1.0 and 1.1 apps
• Changes to some of the XML functions to improve
  performance
• Web Services enhancements supporting GXA
• Last week, MSFT rolled out Visual Studio.NET
  tools for Office 11 that allows Word and Excel
  to directly use .NET classes and services

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Where .NET is going

• Next version (2.0) is scheduled to release with
  the next version of SQL Server (Yukon)
• Ability to write SQL User Defined Functions with
  a .NET languages
• Strongly hinted-at support for XQuery and
  numerous changes/improvements in SQLXML
• Likely will have transparent framework support
  on 64-bit CPUs in 64-bit mode
• More enhancements to web services and Compact
  Framework bits
• Expanded Office Suite and Server product support

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Where .NET is going

• Within five to ten years
• 64-bit architectures become the dominate standard
  desktops and servers
• PDA and Cellphones merge into one device
• Web Services will be more likely used
  autonomously by smart devices than in User
  Applications
• Web Services as the choice for component
  architectures is the defacto standard
• Redundantly-distributed, self-balancing and
  self-healing applications become the norm

• How .NET fits
• Code written for the framework today should run
  without changes at native level
• Compact Framework for Windows devices
• Compact Framework can be embedded into devices
  making it easy to develop them as service
  consumers
• .NET is the easiest way to develop web services
  on the Microsoft platform
• .NET web applications can already restart
  themselves and can be distributed fairly easily

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Tools Gotta haves

• VS.NET doesnt have great support for some common
  XML tasks
• Generating W3C Schemas, testing customizations of
  SOAP messages and debugging XSLTs
• XmlSpy from Altova for schemas and SOAP
• http//www.altova.com/download_spy_enterprise.html
  
• Komodo from ActiveState for Visual XSLT
  debugger
• http//www.activestate.com/Products/Komodo/
• FXCop from Microsoft
• Code inspection tools and validates it against
  Microsofts internal coding standards (free!)
• http//www.gotdotnet.com/team/libraries/
• CodeSwap from Veritgo
• Functions donated by community members
• http//www.vscodeswap.net/

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Key Web Resources

• Where do you go when you have questions or
  problems?
• After checking MSDN and Googling
• http//www.asp.net/, then forums
• http//www.gotdotnet.com/
• Mailing lists on http//discuss.developmentor.com/
  
• Other important sites
• http//www.codeproject.com/ for samples and ideas
• http//slashdot.org/ for all kinds of geeky
  goodness
• Whats BillG funding? http//research.microsoft.co
  m/

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PDA Give Away

• Microsoft wants to give a free Viewsonic VS37
  (400 value)
• Just buy VS.NET 2003 professional or higher,
  register and get the coupon in by June 30th
• Get the details at http//msdn.microsoft.com/vstud
  io/getpocketpc/

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Omaha.NET User Group

• Developer community focusing on .NET technologies
• Not affiliated with any sales, training, or
  consultation organization
• Primary goal is to promote .NET in Omaha through
  the enhancement of our local developers skill
  sets
• Events are held monthly spanning a wide variety
  of .NET topics. Pizza, pop, and prizes are given
  out at every meeting.
• Next meeting is Thursday night at 600 PM at the
  Millard Public Library. Phil Wolfe of Werner
  presenting a recap of the ASP.NET Connections
  Conference
• No membership dues (currently)
• Quickly becoming the 1 Omaha resource for
  everything .NET
• On-line forums and mailing lists
• http//www.funwith.net/

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Summary

• .NET is the easiest and fastest way to develop
  and deploy
• Web Services on the Microsoft platform
• Applications on the Pocket PC platform
• Application services for mobile devices when
  using a Microsoft-based solution
• .NET unifies many different frameworks, SDKs and
  tools into a single development environment
• .NET makes ASP development much more like
  traditional application development
• Look for .NET to be Microsofts tool of choice
  for everything from PDAs to 64-bit CPU servers in
  the future
• Look to the Omaha.NET user group as your best
  local resource for .NET development issues.

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Questions?

• Thanks for your time!
• You may download this presentation from
• http//www.tegels.org/omaspin_030520.pdf