What is the .NET Framework, and do I need all these versions?

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I, too, used to be confused by the .Net Framework. I didn't know whether I needed to install all versions, just one, etc. But then someone on a forum said something to me that cleared it all up.

They said to look at the .Net Framework as if they were the Visual Basic Runtime files needed back on older versions of Windows.

I remember back in the day, whenever reinstalling Windows, I used to have to then download and reinstall all the versions of the VB Runtime files-- versions 1 through 6, if I remember correctly. And I'm pretty sure one of those versions had two versions itself-- a 16 bit version and a 32 bit version. It was a mess, but I knew it had to be done.

But, anyway, once that poster told me to look at it that way, now I completely understatnd how to look at and handle the .Net Framework.

I have had the experience you mentioned in this answer. I thought that if version 3 included parts of 1 and 2, then why not uninstall .NET 1 & 2? The result: several programs wouldn't run until I re-installed .NET 1 & 2. I agree: keep them all. You just do not realize what you have until you lose it!

The installation of various versions of the .NET Framework side-by-side is Microsoft's solution to the old problem of "DLL Hell." Instead of relying on software vendors (including Microsoft itself) to produce version 2 of some support library that is 100% compatible with version 1, all the time and for every possible program, just let version 2 coexist in the system alongside version 1. Programs that expect to use version 1, and were tested by their vendors with version 1, get version 1; programs that expect version 2 get version 2, and so on. (Actually, developers can make a program that works with both version 1 and version 2, but that requires an affirmative choice to do so, and appropriate testing against both versions of the library.)

Hard disk space is cheap. Users' time spent figuring out why installing program X caused program Y to stop working is not.

The last thing to do is uninstall .NET Framework. I kept on trying to install a Windows Update of the .NET Framework without success, so I uninstalled the previous versions thinking that I could reinstall them all manually from the Windows Update site. BAD MOVE! I was warned that several programs wouldn't work if I continued with the uninstall, but I thought that as I would be reinstalling immediately, everything would be OK. NOT SO! The reinstall from Windows Update failed several times, and now my computer won't even boot into the Bios! Help!

Thank you , I had recently installed .Net framework from microsoft updates and didn't know why .

Visual Basic run-times are the same way. Programs written for VB4 cannot use VB6, for instance. You need to keep the older versions if you still have any programs that use them.

I agree with most of the above remarks. Let Microsoft notify me and let me choose the update. Then leave them alone... period. Someone said hard disk is cheap so get it and get back to using the computer more and less in maintaining and repairing it.
Thanks Leo and friends
Joseph

Thanks for the enlightenment, like so many simple folk I have to just accept the mushroom treatment doled out by Microsoft.
We may not understand an explanation but even an attempt, to acknowledge that in our millions we have helped to build Microsoft with our pennies, would go along way to making it less disliked.

I have just read this article again because I cannot update .Net1.1 update and I was told by Microsoft to uninstall then re install and they gave me all the instructions on thier up date website. I was not to sure if I could do all this and now I am beggining to wonder if I did the right thing by just leaving it.

Just read you explanation of the purpose of .NET Framework. I receive updates all the time without understanding what it does (I was educated a software programmer 30 years ago). The Microsoft explanation (and several others') are completely incomprehensible (to me). Not yours. Thank you. Microsoft should be sorry you quit, because those who try to explain .NET Framework does not seem to be able to measure up...

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