Programming in the .NET Environment is the software developer's guide to the .NET Framework. The authors describe Microsoft's vision for distributed component-based systems development and then show programmers how to develop software that takes full advantage of the features of the .NET Framework. Readers learn how to author components, libraries, and frameworks that not only exploit the capabilities of the .NET Framework but also integrate seamlessly into that environment.

This book begins with an introduction to the goals and architecture of the .NET Framework. Readers will then gain a thorough understanding of the type, metadata, and execution systems; learn how to build and deploy their components within .NET assemblies; and gain an understanding of the facilities of the Framework Class Libraries.

Topic coverage includes:

* The Common Language Runtime (CLR) and the Framework Class Libraries
* The CLR's Type, Metadata, and Execution Systems
* Creating and deploying .NET Assemblies
* Internationalization and localization facilities
* .NET Languages, including C# and Visual Basic .NET

The book concludes with appendixes written by other specialists in the field: Paul Vick (writing about VB .NET), Eric Gunnerson (on C#), Mark Hammond (on Python for .NET), Jan Dubois (on Perl for .NET), John Gough (on Component Pascal for .NET), Pankaj Surana (on Scheme for .NET), Nigel Perry (on Mondrian), and Juerg Gutknecht (on Active Oberon for .NET).

Written by a team of experienced authors using a practical, authoritative approach, Programming in the .NET Environment is an indispensable guide to developing components that fulfill the promise of Microsoft's .NET Framework.

Books in the Microsoft .NET Development Series are written and reviewed by the principal authorities and pioneering developers of the Microsoft .NET technologies, including the Microsoft .NET development team and DevelopMentor. Books in the Microsoft .NET Development Series focus on the design, architecture, and implementation of the Microsoft .NET initiative to empower developers and students everywhere with the knowledge they need to thrive in the Microsoft .NET revolution.