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Since its initial release by Microsoft in 2002, it has become the technology of choice for building Windows desktop applications used by millions of people. There are several key reasons why .NET is the best technology option for desktop application development:
Desktop applications, developed with the help of .NET development outsourcing services, deliver excellent performance thanks to the underlying Common Language Runtime (CLR) execution environment. It manages memory allocation, thread scheduling, code execution, and other low-level operations efficiently and securely.
The CLR's just-in-time (JIT) compiler converts .NET code into optimized native machine instructions tailored to the specific CPU. This enables .NET desktop apps to utilize the full power of the hardware for responsive UIs and fast processing. Asynchronous programming models further boost responsiveness.
Responsiveness is critical for desktop applications. Users expect slick and snappy experiences without sluggishness or lock-ups when interacting with desktop software.
.NET makes keeping the UI thread responsive through first-class support for asynchronous programming. Developers can use async/await keywords to wrap long-running operations in tasks that free up the UI thread to stay responsive. Common asynchronous APIs are provided for disk access, web requests, and database calls.
Asynchronous programming is crucial for utilizing additional CPU cores in modern multi-core systems. Synchronous code restricts execution to a single core, resulting in underutilization of available power. The asynchronous model allows full utilization of all cores by running non-UI tasks concurrently without affecting UI responsiveness.
The steady improvements in JIT (just-in-time) compilation technology by Microsoft have drastically increased the performance of .NET desktop apps with each .NET release. Cutting-edge optimizations like tiered compilation, vectorization, interprocedural analysis, and partial NGen precompilation enable the CLR to generate extremely efficient machine code customized to the hardware at hand.
Developers can focus on writing clean, maintainable code in high-level .NET languages without worrying about performance, knowing that the underlying runtime and compilers will handle optimizing code execution down to the metal. Automated profiling guides the JIT's optimization decisions to maximize application throughput.
One of the standout features of .NET is that it simplifies and accelerates building desktop apps compared to alternatives. The seamlessly integrated Visual Studio IDE provides a drag-and-drop graphical user interface designer that allows rapid UI construction without coding.
The .NET languages like C# integrate well with Visual Studio, enabling features like IntelliSense auto-completion and debugging tools that speed up coding. Rich sets of built-in libraries handle common tasks like database access, web connectivity, XML processing, etc. This means less boilerplate code to write for developers.
The .NET focus on rapid application development (RAD) means faster time-to-market for desktop apps, allowing more iterations and user testing.
A long-standing weakness of .NET was that it only targeted Windows. However, with .NET Core, Microsoft has made the framework cross-platform. .NET desktop apps can now run on Linux and macOS using .NET Core. Mono is another popular implementation.
This cross-platform capability allows developers to use .NET to build desktop apps that run across devices and operating systems. No longer limited to just Windows, the same .NET code can power apps on everything from PCs, laptops, and servers to mobile and embedded devices.
Linux support has enabled .NET to be used in scenarios where Windows is unavailable, like cloud servers, IoT devices, appliances, and supercomputing. Developers can now use their .NET skills to write desktop UIs for Linux users, leveraging native GTK# or Qt bindings that are available.
Running .NET desktop apps on Linux unlocks new possibilities, like using Docker containers for simplified deployment. Linux is also popular in corporate environments as an alternative to expensive Windows server licenses.
.NET on Linux opens doors to open-source enthusiasts who can now contribute to .NET Core on GitHub. This brings fresh perspectives and innovation into the .NET ecosystem.
Historically, Microsoft-focused technologies have had poor support for Apple platforms. However, with .NET Core, MacOS is now a first-class target for .NET desktop application development. Developers can build apps for Mac users without adopting less productive languages like Objective-C or Swift.
MacOS support also enables easier porting of business desktop apps from Windows to Mac within an organization while reusing code and skills. MacOS capabilities like native menus and installers integrate smoothly with .NET. The Xamarin.Mac framework provides further access to Mac-specific features.
The cross-platform Xamarin tools enable building native iOS and Android apps using C# and .NET code. This allows developers to reuse business logic across desktop, web, and mobile apps within a single language and framework.
With Xamarin, the same engineers can build mobile companions to desktop software using their existing skills. Shared data access and business logic layers across desktop and mobile apps powered by .NET code simplify development and maintenance.
Microsoft open-sourced .NET Core and related technologies, making them available free of cost without licensing issues. This allows developers to not only use .NET freely but also contribute to its evolution.
The open-source nature of .NET has accelerated innovation by allowing the large .NET developer community to build the framework's future. It has also made .NET appealing to developers who previously avoided it due to its closed-source nature.
The shift to open source sparked a developer movement spearheaded by Microsoft MVPs and community leaders to shape .NET in the open on GitHub. Hundreds of developers now actively drive .NET's progress together in public.
Anyone can report issues, submit feature requests, contribute bug fixes, and build the necessary tools. The collaborative model enabled major initiatives like .NET going cross-platform and the creation of ASP.NET Core to happen rapidly. According to Stack Overflow, ASP.NET Core has become one of the most popular developer choices in web frameworks and technologies.
Openness leads to transparency, trust, and innovation velocity, benefiting the entire ecosystem. Developers feel empowered knowing they have a seat at the table to steer .NET's future direction.
Open source projects suffer from lack of diversity. But Microsoft has made serious efforts to make .NET welcoming via inclusive language in documentation, standing up the .NET Foundation, and promoting traditionally underrepresented groups in tech.
These initiatives are slowly improving diversity. With role models and Microsoft's support, .NET as an open-source project is comparatively more diverse. An inclusive culture leads to broader perspectives and better software for everyone.
.NET has one of the largest developer ecosystems in the world. The mature framework is trusted and used by millions of programmers globally.
There are tons of online resources, such as documentation, tutorials, courses, and stack overflow answers, to aid .NET developers. Finding .NET talent or third-party libraries and tools is easy. Established best practices around architecture, coding standards, testing, and deployment further boost productivity.
Microsoft has invested heavily in providing exceptional documentation and training materials for .NET developers ranging from complete beginners to expert professionals.
The entire .NET API reference is covered in great depth on Microsoft Docs. Interactive tutorials on Microsoft Learn teach concepts hands-on. In-depth guides and samples enumerate best practices around .NET desktop application development.
Free high-quality videos on .NET are published frequently by Microsoft Developers YouTube channel. Paid content on platforms like Pluralsight and Udemy expand depth. Conferences like Build, Ignite, and community events offer further learning avenues.
The .NET ecosystem features an extensive collection of third party frameworks, components, tools and extensions. NuGet hosts over 100,000 useful .NET libraries to accelerate development.
Developers can find prebuilt controls, parsers, algorithms, and data visualization tools for just about every need. Open-source options like Umbraco, Orchard, NHibernate, and more augment the in-box frameworks. Extensions boost productivity in IDEs like Visual Studio.
The breadth of complementary offerings helps developers go to market faster by standing on the shoulders of community giants.
While mobile and web apps are popular, desktop applications are far from dead. In fact, they continue to power most enterprise and productivity software across organizations. .NET makes it easier to build complex, secure and scalable desktop software that stands the test of time.
The UI design tools allow for the crafting of elegant Windows desktop experiences with 2D and 3D graphics. WPF provides resolution independence for building apps that run well on high DPI displays. Windows Forms offers lighter-weight option more suitable for internal tools.
First released in 2006, WPF revolutionized building modern Windows desktop UIs with rich 2D and 3D graphics, animations, styling, and more. It is an incredibly flexible and powerful framework for crafting beautiful desktop applications.
Key highlights of WPF for building long-lasting desktop apps:
After over 15 years, WPF remains the gold standard for building desktop line-of-business apps on Windows with .NET.
First launched in 2002, Windows Forms is a lightweight framework for building traditional Windows desktop applications with basic UI needs. It features simple form-based .NET desktop application model and drag-drop designers in Visual Studio.
Although WPF has more modern capabilities, Windows Forms continues to be relevant and used:
Windows Forms gentle learning curve, vast usage in legacy apps and adequacy for simpler scenarios ensures it will stay around for many more years as part of .NET.
The .NET team takes compatibility seriously. They have maintained impressive backward compatibility even through major .NET version upgrades. This means .NET desktop apps written years ago can still run on modern Windows releases without changes.
The strong commitment to compatibility reduces upgrade headaches for developers. It also extends the useful life of desktop software built with .NET compared to alternatives that constantly break apps with each update.
.NET binaries are guaranteed to continue working without recompilation on future .NET releases. For example, a .NET 2.0 desktop application from 2005 will run unmodified on .NET 6 released in 2022. This 17+ years of binary compatibility is unmatched in the industry.
Breaking changes are rare and communicated well in advance with easy migration steps. The extensive backwards compatibility allows developers to upgrade to latest .NET releases to gain new language features, performance improvements and updates while retaining app functionality.
In addition to binary compatibility, source code written on past .NET versions compiles cleanly on modern compilers. This source compatibility combined with binary compatibility enables bringing really old .NET code to current platforms.
Code written in C# 1.0 from 2002 works neatly with recent C# versions like ten without tweaks. .NET languages and APIs have evolved, keeping the developers in mind to minimize breaking changes.
The compatibility story makes .NET desktop apps future-proof. Developers can focus on innovating .NET desktop application functionality instead of wasting time porting old code to new platforms.
Security is a growing challenge for desktop apps handling sensitive data. .NET provides strong security foundations for developers.
All .NET code runs inside the safe, managed CLR environment, which prevents common issues like buffer overruns. Authorization, authentication, and cryptography functions help incorporate security best practices. Integration with technologies like Windows Hello and virtual smart cards is also smoother.
By design, the CLR memory manager prevents entire classes of bugs like buffer overruns. All code is JIT compiled during execution after full strict validity checks. Attempted security violations throw exceptions to fail safely.
These managed code protections secure .NET desktop apps by default compared to native code where developers have to manually implement security best practices.
The .NET framework class library includes robust built-in support for encryption, hashing, and cryptography functions used in secure applications.
APIs like AES, RSA, SHA2, HMAC, X.509 certificates, key stores, and random number generators help developers easily incorporate encryption, secrets management, and trust into desktop apps with industry-standard algorithms.
Windows desktop apps often need integrated OS authentication via Active Directory, Azure AD or Windows Hello rather than custom user management. .NET offers out-of-box support for Windows authentication via NegotiateStream, NTLM and Kerberos protocols.
SSPI handles complexity internally while exposing simple APIs to query the Windows identities of users. This enables frictionless single sign-on experiences reusing Windows login credentials within desktop applications.
For over 20 years, .NET has proven itself to be the most well-rounded, flexible and developer-friendly technology for building desktop applications on Windows. With cross-platform support on non-Windows operating systems, open source momentum and a strong commitment to compatibility; .NET's position as the top choice for developing desktop apps is stronger than ever.
Its unmatched tools for rapid UI construction, high-performance environment, huge ecosystem, and tight security and cloud integration make .NET the ideal choice for organizations wanting to ship great desktop experiences across devices while leveraging existing .NET skillsets. .NET desktop development truly stands in a league of its own when it comes to enabling developers to build feature-rich and secure desktop applications.
