Microsoft is providing a common foundation upon which all language tools can be built. Microsoft today unveiled the .NET Framework, a part of the .NET Platform, at its Professional Developers Conference in Florida. The .NET Framework unites programming languages and eases the complex details developers have to manage. These parts can be accessed over the Internet or corporate network with greater ease than developers use component software today. Gone are the days when a developer wrote an entire application from scratch.
Most developers give up and work in a single-language environment.
They either get stuck with decisions they made a decade ago or undergo costly conversion efforts. With Microsoft's vision, developers are increasingly freed to use the best programming language for the job at hand. The .NET Framework brings the developer's dream of language interoperability closer to reality than it ever has been before. Developers will be able to change to another language later and retain their investment. It also means developers face a steep learning curve when learning a new language, Montgomery said.