Clarifying the .NET Message
ZDNet | at | by Mike
.NET is a difficult technology to explain to non-programmers because .NET is developer-oriented technology. Many of the features of .NET don't make sense unless you know a lot about software development. From a marketing standpoint, however, understanding the essentials of .NET shouldn't require expertise in software engineering any more than buying a car requires a degree in mechanical engineering. What is needed is a consideration of other markets where technically abstract concepts are communicated to a non-technical audience.
NET is, in a nutshell, a set of technologies designed to enhance developer productivity, with special emphasis given to the needs of programs in a networked environment (i.e. the Internet). Developers build their programs using building blocks found in .NET. .NET also acts as a controlled environment within which programs can run. This controlled environment makes certain common programming errors that have security implications, such as buffer overruns, impossible, while greatly expanding the number of security options available. In short, a "development framework" like .NET leads to code that has fewer bugs, is more secure, has more features, and is easier to build.