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Tell me some of the main differences between .NET and Win32(aka pre .NET).
As far as i understand Win98 programs were build under Win32 and WinXP started using .NET, so i was wondering what are some differences between them.
3 Replies - 777 Views - Last Post: 31 August 2012 - 06:59 AM
MultiQuoteReplies To: .NET vs Win32
#2
RudiVisser
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Re: .NET vs Win32
Posted 31 August 2012 - 05:22 AM
No, .NET itself (the CLR host, generally explorer.exe for 99% of users) is still a Win32 program.
Your .NET programs then run on top of said CLR.
Windows XP didn't actually ship with .NET, so that's definitely not a .NET based platform. Nothing is, really, apart from Windows 8 to an extent, where it's all WinRT-ified for the Metro-interface.
Your .NET programs then run on top of said CLR.
Windows XP didn't actually ship with .NET, so that's definitely not a .NET based platform. Nothing is, really, apart from Windows 8 to an extent, where it's all WinRT-ified for the Metro-interface.
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RudiVisser
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Re: .NET vs Win32
Posted 31 August 2012 - 06:59 AM
Well if we're going to get specific, Win32 itself refers to the Windows-provided API to it's operating system, so all the pretty headers such as windows.h, kernel.h, advapi32.lib and whatever the hell else.
A typical "Win32 Executable" is just compiled machine code running on your system, using the Win32 APIs to perhaps draw such things as Windows within the Windows Desktop Environment. It's not a platform per se.
In contrast to that, .NET is a whole runtime environment. Your .NET Executable is not actually machine code as such, but instead is IL, which can in-turn be interpreted as machine code for execution by .NET's CLR. So, in essence, your application runs "on top of" the CLR, if it's a .NET executable, as opposed to running on its own as a "Win32 Executable" would.
I mentioned above about a CLR host, and that explorer.exe is one of them. Let me explain a bit further, any application can become such a CLR host, hosting a CLR assembly and making it run. explorer.exe is essentially the "desktop process", and so is always around (and if it's not it will be in a few seconds!), meaning that your applications will be hosted within it.
Don't take all of this as gospel, the whole thing is just so much more involved than what I can explain in a quick post on my lunch at work. But needless to say, Win32 is not a platform but an API to interact with the Windows platform, and .NET is a separate runtime area.
A typical "Win32 Executable" is just compiled machine code running on your system, using the Win32 APIs to perhaps draw such things as Windows within the Windows Desktop Environment. It's not a platform per se.
In contrast to that, .NET is a whole runtime environment. Your .NET Executable is not actually machine code as such, but instead is IL, which can in-turn be interpreted as machine code for execution by .NET's CLR. So, in essence, your application runs "on top of" the CLR, if it's a .NET executable, as opposed to running on its own as a "Win32 Executable" would.
I mentioned above about a CLR host, and that explorer.exe is one of them. Let me explain a bit further, any application can become such a CLR host, hosting a CLR assembly and making it run. explorer.exe is essentially the "desktop process", and so is always around (and if it's not it will be in a few seconds!), meaning that your applications will be hosted within it.
Don't take all of this as gospel, the whole thing is just so much more involved than what I can explain in a quick post on my lunch at work. But needless to say, Win32 is not a platform but an API to interact with the Windows platform, and .NET is a separate runtime area.
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