The version of .NET against which you compile an application or assembly may not be the same version of .NET on which the application is currently running. A .NET application should always be able to run on the same or newer version of .NET against which it was compiled.

This is because .NET is backward compatible. This means that an application compiled on .NET v1.1 should run OK on .NET v2.0 and v3.0. But an application compiled on .NET v2.0 will not run on .NET v1.1.

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You can use the following JavaScript code in a web page to determine which versions of .NET are installed on a client PC:

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When you show a .NET Form, by default the form will appear in the Windows Start bar and in the list of open windows shown when the user presses Alt+Tab.

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This multi-part article answers common questions about assemblies, the basic building blocks of .NET applications. This Part 4 covers shared assemblies and the Global Assembly Cache.

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This multi-part article answers common questions about assemblies, the basic building blocks of .NET applications. This Part 3 discusses assembly security using strong names, signing and public-private key pairs.

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This multi-part article answers common questions about assemblies, the basic building blocks of .NET applications. This Part 2 discusses assembly attributes.

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Frequently asked questions, some assembly required.

This multi-part article answers common questions about assemblies–the basic building blocks of .NET applications. Some developers may never need to understand assemblies. But if you create shared components, use DLLs or deliver a suite of applications, then it’s essential to understand what .NET assemblies are and how they work.

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Sometimes you need to know which version of an assembly was loaded by your .NET application. The following code snippet makes it easy:

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Developers for the Microsoft .NET platform are blessed to have three high-quality .NET magazines available to them: CoDe Component Developer Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Visual Studio Magazine.

Why would a tech savvy software developer want to read a paper magazine when so much information is available online? Well, some of us “old timers” still appreciate the fresh smell and slick feel of a high-gloss monthly. Also, magazine articles are often produced by professional writers who explain subjects in greater clarity and detail than one may find on the Web. And there are times when a developer may not be connected, such as when riding the train, sitting in a meeting, or eating lunch.

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Microsoft has released a beta version of the next major release of Visual Studio and the .NET framework.

Visual Studio “Orcas” will enable developers to write programs that can run on Windows Vista, Longhorn Server, Office 2007 and the Web. The .NET Framework v3.5 will provide better support for Web 2.0 and AJAX applications. Microsoft has been planning to release Orcas this year, but a corporate VP recently told ZDNet that it may not happen until 2008.

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