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

Comment from Steve Prover on 2009-11-06

2009-11-06T19:31:30Z

what was the response to the question about the continual attempt to automatically install .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 Security Update after it has all ready been installed. Is there some way I can block this?

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Comment from ANA on 2009-10-31

2009-10-31T09:02:07Z

Running J# do i need microsoft .net framework

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Comment from ANA on 2009-10-31

2009-10-31T08:47:25Z

converting vb6 codes to vb.net and do i need microsoft .net framework?

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Comment from LinYu on 2009-10-24

2009-10-24T15:53:33Z

First of all, I must give my sincere thanks to Leo. He has saved me headaches and possible loss of files and/or even my system, time after time...
Regarding .NET Framework:
Starting 10/14/2009, Windows Automatic Update keeps trying to install .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 Security Update (KB953297), every single day, and each time the installation fails.
I checked and I have already installed in my system: v1.0.3705, v1.1.4322, v2.0.50727, v3.0 and v.3.5 and was ready to uninstall them all but the last one, until I came to "ask Leo"... Good thing I did, once again.
My question is, why is this Security Update systematically failing installation? It started around the same time I upgraded to NIS2010.I wonder if it has anything to do with it?
I also feel important to add that on the same date (10/14/2009), .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 Security Update was successfully installed as well as other updates, by the same process of Windows Automatic Updates.
I use Windows Vista Home Premium and the Error Details line for the repeated installation failure states this: Code 643.
What could possibly be the issue?
Thanks a million for any help on this.

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Comment from burns on 2009-10-19

2009-10-19T10:24:32Z

thank you for your explanation very simple even a dunce like me can understand it, like your every day talk

Burns

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Comment from Danny Mink on 2009-10-17

2009-10-17T15:41:35Z

Firefox now automatically blocks mine. I was about to delete. NET. but checked here first. Glad I did.

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Comment from Jim on 2009-10-17

2009-10-17T14:41:49Z

I think Leo's right, I might have received it in a redistribution package for website development.

I was having issues with this too. I'm not sure if I need it or not since I uninstalled my Website development software, however, as soon as I 'blocked' it(MicroSoft.NET Framework Assistant) in 'Add-ons' under 'Tools' in Firefox EVERYTHING in my browser improved. Faster page downloads and no more jiggling screens in my email box.

Important: the ".NET Framework Assistant" plugin is not the same as the .NET Framework itself. The plugin is specifically to enable a browser feature, and nothing more. The .NET Framework itself is discussed in the article.

18-Oct-2009

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Comment from Neeraj Singh on 2009-05-25

2009-05-25T14:56:02Z

I have one question:
My application was hosted in a server where .Net framework 1.1 and 2.0 was installed.
Due to my requirement I have installed .Net framework 3.5 as of one more application which was development under .Net framework just want to run on the same serevr.
But after installing .Net 3.5 framework, current running application is not working properly.
Is there any draw back to insatll multiple .Net framework into single server. Please suggest ???

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Comment from Richard on 2009-04-10

2009-04-10T17:08:50Z

Well, I should have just got rid of IE8. Instead I had assume the issues weren't with IE8 but were with either AVG8 or else .net Framework. After getting rid of most versions of .net Framework back until 1.1 I still had start up issues with IE8. So, I uninstalled IE8 and am back with IE7 (which I should have done in the first place!). IE7 works fine so I'm putting back all the versions of .net Framework available because it wasn't that causing me problems. Well, this all took me a couple of hours and some frustration - but I should have accepted the most obvious cause - the new IE8 and not started looking around for other causes it turned out not to be! Thanx for the good pointers on this .net Framework, Leo. I tried going against you but I came back to see you were probably right in the first place!

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Comment from Richard on 2009-04-10

2009-04-10T16:07:37Z

I disregarded what Leo said and I deleted all the .net framework versions back as far as but not including the 1.1 hotfix. Well it didn't make any improvement - just as Leo suggested it wouuldn't - but it didn't seem to do any damage either. That is, I had non responsive start ups to IE8 before I did uninstalled the later version of .net framework and I still get the same non responsive start ups with IE8 at the same frequency as before. I will keep an eye on it. I might reinstal the .net 2.0 and 3.0 and the other updates back on if I find I'm getting any problems. I really have no idea what all of these .net framework version are for anyway.

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Comment from laurie jensen on 2009-03-29

2009-03-30T00:25:17Z

Excellent explanation - I need additional help! So, I get the part that you sometimes need various versions of the .NET Framwork for other programs, my problem is that I tried to install a software program that included .NET (v2 if I remember correctly) as a redistributable, but when it got to the .NET installation part, it gave me an error and wouldn't let me continue the download. Needless to say, I can't run that software on my computer w/out it.
I talked to the software tech support, they said the problem was with MSoft, not them, so they wouldn't help. Any suggestions? Is there a version of .NET that is compatible with Vista that might work for my software?

.NET is compatible with Vista. Unfortunately "it gave me an error" isn't near enough information for me to go on. What software? what OS? And most importantly - what error?

- Leo
30-Mar-2009

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Comment from Kim Lambert on 2009-03-06

2009-03-07T01:04:35Z

What a relief to find that others find Microsoft's explanations incomprehensible. I almost deleted .Net Framework until reading this article, thinking it was foundation for a programming language that I wasn't into. Thank you, Leo, and all you other respondents.

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Comment from Moshe Natan on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T22:34:03Z

Leo! I found "Ask Leo" about 4 ,5 weeks ago and a day doesn't go by where in a few minutes you mange brilliantly to cut through the junk , save me countless hours of time on maintenance. I had the NET Framework 1 and 2 downloaded automatically. When I was asked by "Uniblue register" to download NEt Framework 3 I had "errors" many hours on the phone with Microsoft windows tech support, countless emails, sending in logs, registry,and major coniptions to no avail.I finally asked Microsoft if I need their NET Framework and they said no as a home user who doesn't program.{They prbably wanted to get me off their tail}.
Thanks for clearing things up quickly and simply as you always do.

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Comment from Rober Jones on 2009-02-15

2009-02-15T20:21:20Z

Well, its a good thing that they created this .NET stuff, so that people wouldn't have to keep rewriting basic code. I have few if any applications that use it, but I have hundreds of megabytes of file data for .NET components.

Then, someone is saying that we should just keep all the versions on our computers because MY harddisk space is cheap and MY time spent fixing it is not. Thats the kind of attitude that gets us here. I think it should be THEIR time fixing it and making it right in the first place.

What a mess this .NET stuff is.

If you want your software to be run on a VM use Java. If you want native apps use native code. Now we are going to have system software running in a VM oh joy! Better get that new CPU and extra memory to support the next generation of bloatware.

Better update your internet connection while your at it to support all the latest .NET updates that are coming your way!

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Comment from Carl Alexander on 2009-02-07

2009-02-08T01:30:30Z

I was supposing (guessing) that .NET framework was something used by my installed programs rather than by me but wasn't sure. I liked this article because I remember very painfully VB Runtime and DLL Hell and have several small, speciality programs that use them.
Leo, this article was more enlighting than Wikipedia whichs never really tells a non-programer what it does. Thanks

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Comment from W Saeter on 2009-01-28

2009-01-28T11:30:27Z

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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Comment from Richard Grieves on 2008-12-22

2008-12-22T14:27:32Z

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.

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Comment from George Clarke on 2008-11-28

2008-11-28T10:18:06Z

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.

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Comment from Joseph on 2008-11-25

2008-11-26T00:31:52Z

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

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Comment from Bruce on 2008-11-25

2008-11-25T21:18:06Z

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.

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Comment from Rev Ron Bell on 2008-11-22

2008-11-22T11:18:12Z

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

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Comment from John Simonson on 2008-11-19

2008-11-19T09:06:48Z

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!

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Comment from Paul McKee on 2008-11-18

2008-11-18T17:18:43Z

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.

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Comment from Bill Yourconis on 2008-11-18

2008-11-18T16:44:16Z

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!

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Comment from Mike on 2008-11-13

2008-11-13T21:58:30Z

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.

That's a great way to look at it, for those of us that used or remember VB - particularly since with the advent of VB.NET, the .NET framework kind of is the replacement for the VB runtime. Thanks!

- Leo
14-Nov-2008

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