With .NET gaining popularity as the next generation Microsoft technology we get requests to convert ASP projects to .NET and inquiries about the benefits of building with .Net.

We have observed that working with .NET has many advantages, especially where security issues are concerned. It is easy to use and has a strong component based architecture. Also, the compilation and caching techniques in .NET are quite advanced and this leads to improved performance of the application.

An important practical benefit with .NET is that it gives us the flexibility to choose multiple languages for coding without having to worry about integration issues. This enables us to move forward with available development skills thus helping us populate a team quickly and saving on retraining costs. The common runtime is language-neutral so, VisualBasic programmers can use components written in C# and vice versa. Other languages, such as COBOL and FORTRAN, can also be plugged into Visual Studio.NET to create one application using code generated by different developers using their language of choice.

The biggest change though in building web applications with .NET is that Microsoft has gone the STRUTS way and split code into layers. So instead of having HTML and code mixed up together on the same page (read as difficult to maintain), you now have two pages, one to lay out your web page exactly as you want it and another for the "code-behind" where you handle the logic. Quite simply, you have a button on one page, and the code that handles the button click on another that the user never sees.

Another lip-smacking feature is browser independence, the controls and the code in .NET work for any browser, and you don't have to mix Javascript client-side and VBscript server-side any more. The framework handles that and different code gets sent to different browsers automatically. A *huge* saving in development time and the elimination of a maintenance nightmare.

Yet another advantage that we noticed is that it is quite simple to connect an application built using the .NET Framework to existing systems and packaged applications, regardless of their underlying platform, via XML Web services. This promotes closer links and better information sharing between systems internal to an enterprise, as well as between the enterprise and its partners, suppliers, and customers.

Also, when we migrated an application from ASP to ASP.NET we noticed a significant increase in speed.

IIS, that comes built in with the Windows server, is an excellent Web Server for most applications. Configuring and using IIS is a breeze. Our observation is that using IIS for your application is a lot simpler than using Linux/ Unix based web servers, where setting up, is a lot more involved process. This benefit is particularly apparent for smaller projects where resource allocation for set-up and administration is lower.

While Oracle and SQL Server are the preferred databases for medium to large applications on Windows Servers, we have had great success in using open source databases such as MYSQL for smaller applications. With the current high cost of Database licensing for internet applications, MYSQL is a great option for any application without too much complexity. It is extremely fast and handles load well. We are eagerly waiting for a stable Windows version of PostgreSQL (we have found Linux versions to be great).

Access is another option we might consider for small .exe based applications, primarily for its ease of installation in desktops. However multiple users concurrently accessing the system will quickly scuttle this option.