Acronyms in .NET

Acronyms in .NET

ADO - ActiveX Data Object - Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is a collection of Component Object Model objects for accessing different types of data sources.

AJAX - Asynchronouse Javascript and XML - Ajax is a web development technology used for creating interactive web pages with fast data rendering by enabling partial postbacks on a web page (That means a section of the web page is rendered again, instead of the complete web page. This is achieved using Javascript, XML, JSON (Javascript Notation Language) and the XMLHttpRequest object in javascript.

ASP - Active Server Pages - Microsoft's Server side script engine for creating dynamic web page.

C# - C Sharp - Microsoft Visual C# is an object oriented programming language based on the .NET Framework. It includes features of powerful languages like C++, Java, Delphi and Visual Basic.

CAO - Client Activated Object - Objects created on the server upon the client's request. This is used in Remoting.

CCW - COM Callable Wrapper - This component is used when a .NET component needs to be used in COM.

CIL - Common Intermediate Language - Its actually a low level human readable language implementation of CLI. All .NET-aware languages compile the source oode to an intermediate language called Common Intermediate Language using the language specific compiler.

CLI - Common Language Infrastructure - This is a subset of CLR and base class libraries that Microsoft has submitted to ECMA so that a third-party vendor can build a .NET runtime on another platform.

CLR - Common Language Runtime - It is the main runtime machine of the Microsoft .NET Framework. It includes the implementation of CLI. The CLR runs code in the form of bytes, called as bytecode and this is termed MSIL in .NET.

CLS - Common Language Specification - A type that is CLS compliant, may be used across any .NET language. CLS is a set of language rules that defines language standards for a .NET language and types declared in it. While declaring a new type, if we make use of the [CLSCompliant] attribute, the type is forced to conform to the rules of CLS.

COFF - Common Object File Format - It is a specification format for executables.

COM - Component Object Model - reusable software components. The tribe of COM components includes COM+, Distributed COM (DCOM) and ActiveX® Controls.

CSC.exe - C Sharp Compiler utility

CTS - Common Type System - It is at the core of .NET Framework's cross-language integration, type safety, and high-performance code execution. It defines a common set of types that can be used with many different language syntaxes. Each language (C#, VB.NET, Managed C++, and so on) is free to define any syntax it wishes, but if that language is built on the CLR, it will use at least some of the types defined by the CTS.

DBMS - Database Management System - a software application used for management of databases.

DISCO - Discovery of Web Services. A Web Service has one or more. DISCO files that contain information on how to access its WSDL.

DLL - Dynamic Link Library - a shared reusable library, that exposes an interface of usable methods within it.

DOM - Document Object Model - is a language independent technology that permits scripts to dynamically updated contents of a document (a web page is also a document).

ECMA - European Computer Manufacturer's Association - Is an internation organisation for computer standards.

GC - Garbage Collector - an automatic memory management system through which objects that are not referenced are cleared up from the memory.

GDI - Graphical Device Interface - is a component in Windows based systems, that performs the activity of representing graphical objects and outputting them to output devices.

GAC - Global Assembly Cache - Is a central repository of reusable libraries in the .NET environment.

GUI - Graphic User Interface - a type of computer interface through which user's may interact with the Computer using different types of input & output devices with a graphical interface.

GUID - Globally Unique Identifier - is a unique reference number used in applications to refer an object.

HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - is a communication protocol used to transfer information in the internet. HTTP is a request-response protocol between servers and clients.

IDE - Integrated Development Environment - is a development environment with source code editor with a compiler(or interpretor), debugging tools, designer, solution explorer, property window, object explorer etc.

IDL - Interface Definition Language - is a language for defining software components interface.

ILDASM - Intermediate Language Disassembler - The contents of an assembly may be viewed using the ILDASM utility, that comes with the .NET SDK or the Visual Studio.NET. The ildasm.exe tool may also be used in the command line compiler.

IIS - Internet Information Server - Is a server that provides services to websites and even hosts websites.

IL - Intermediate Language - is the compiled form of the .NET language source code. When .NET source code is compiled by the language specific compiler (say we compile C# code using csc.exe), it is compiled to a .NET binary, which is platform independent, and is called Intermediate Language code. The .NET binary also comprises of metadata.

JIT - Just in Time (Jitter) - is a technology for boosting the runtime performance of a system. It converts during runtime, code from one format into another, just like IL into native machine code. Note that JIT compilation is processor specific. Say a processor is X86 based, then the JIT compilation will be for this type of processor.

MBR - MarshallByReference - The caller recieves a proxy to the remote object.

MBV - MarshallByValue - The caller recieves a copy of the object in its own application domain.

MDI - Multiple Document Interface - A window that resides under a single parent window.

MSIL - Microsoft Intermediate Language - now called CIL.

Orcas - Codename for Visual Studio 2008

PE - Portable Executable - an exe format file that is portable.

RAD - Rapid Application Development

RCW - Runtime Callable Wrapper - This component is used when a .NET needs to use a COM component.

SAX - Simple API for XML - It is a serial access parser API for XML. The parser is event driven and the event gets triggered when an XML feature is encountered.

SDK - Software Development Kit

SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - a text based protocol for sending mails.

SN.exe - Strong Name Utility - a tool to make strong named assemblies.

SQL - Structured Query Language - a language for management of data in a relational structure.

SOAP - Simple Object Access Protocol - a protocol used for exchange of xml based messages across networks.

TCP - Transmission Control Protocol - data exchange protocol across networks using streamed sockets.

UI - User Interface

URI - Uniform Resource Identifier

URL - Uniform Resource Locator

UDDI - Universal Description, Discovery and Integration - it is a platform independent business registration across the internet.

WAP - Wireless Access Protocol - a protocol that enables access to the internet from mobile phones and PDAs.

WC - Windows Cardspace - Part of .NET 3.0 framework, that enables users to secure and store digital identities of a person, and a provision to a unified interface for choosing the identity for a particular transaction, like logging in to a website.

WCF - Windows Communication Foundation - Part of .NET 3.0 framework, that enables communication between applications across machines.

WF - Windows Workflow Foundation - Part of .NET 3.0 framework, used for defining, execution and management of reusable workflows.

WKO - Well Known Object - These are MBR types whose lifetime is controlled by the server's application domain.

WPF - Windows Presentation Foundation - Part of .NET 3.0 framework, is the graphical subsystem of the .NET 3.0 framework.

WSDL - Web Services Description Language - is an XML based language for describing web services.

WML - Wireless Markup Language - is a content format for those devices that use Wireless Application Protocol.

VB.NET - Visual Basic .NET - .NET based language. Its the .NET implementation of VB6, the most widely used language in the world.

VBC.exe - VB.NET Compiler

VES - Virtual Execution System - It provides the environment for execution of managed code. It provides direct support for a set of built in data types, defines a hypothetical machine with an associated machine model and state, a set of control flow constructs, and an exception handling model. To a large extent, the purpose of the VES is to provide the support required to execute the Common Intermediate Language instruction set.

VS - Visual Studio

VSS - Visual Source Safe - An IDE by Microsoft, to maintain source code versions and security.

VSTS - Visual Studio Team Suite - Visual Studio Team System - it is an extended version of Visual Studio .NET. It has a set of collaboration and development tools for software development process.

XML - Extensible Markup Language - is a general purpose well formed markup language.