By Will Hansen, CPIM
Vice President of Technology
Intuitive Manufacturing Systems
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Exerpt:
Why .NET Software is Better Software
.NET is not another version of Microsoft Windows; it is the next-generation computing platform from Microsoft. At the core of the .NET hype is a new layer of software that sits above the Windows operating system. This new .NET platform is a better platform for building and running applications software than the Windows OS that we know today. .NET insulates software developers and computer users from the deficiencies and incompatibilities of operating systems. And .NET provides a new set of tools and prefabricated components of unprecedented power that can be used to write a new type of software called “managed code.” Over time, managed code will become recognized as clearly superior because:
Managed code is more robust. The .NET platform not only runs this new type of code but oversees its execution allowing software errors to be caught and halted before serious problems can occur. “Memory leaks,” “memory corruption,” and “blue screen of death” problems that freeze our old Windows systems in their tracks are prevented by .NET or curtailed before damage is done.
Side-by-side versions. .NET software minds its own business. It stays together in one place rather than smearing itself all around our systems. And in doing so, it sidesteps the old Component Object Model (COM) -based mechanisms that allowed software packages to collide with and harm one another. In fact, .NET allows two versions of a managed code application to run side by side on the same computer without any interaction or conflict. .NET thus eliminates the need to remove an old version of a software product just to install and try out a new version.
Better security. We all know our systems are susceptible to hackers. Under the old Windows approach to security, software is granted permission to do things on your computer based on the permissions granted to the user who runs the software. Hackers continue to find devious ways to sneak destructive software onto our systems and trick our computers into running that software under a privileged user account. In contrast, managed code follows a security model that is inherently different; the software is granted permissions on its own merits – not those of the user. Attributes of the software itself such as who wrote the software, where it came from, and where it is located are used to dictate and police what the software is allowed to do. The .NET platform enforces the new regime. Managed code can only run on the .NET platform so must submit to this new system of strict supervision and restriction. Certainly hackers will continue their agenda, but the new .NET security model is a promising new weapon in halting rogue software and security breaches. You’ve heard the old adage that you’re either part of the solution or part of the problem. Managed code is part of the solution. Every purchase of old COM-based software is a vote for perpetuating the security problems that haunt the computer industry today.
Better connectivity. The new .NET software development tools and the standardsbased nature of managed code make it easier to develop systems that employ state-ofthe-art connectivity techniques such as XML Web Services. Our future will clearly be filled with a kaleidoscope of constantly collaborating systems, large and small, networked together, exchanging information and performing services for each other and for mankind. Building this high level of connectivity and requisite robustness demands new components, tools, and a standards-oriented approach. Getting there with old components and tools and without standards is an impossible challenge. .NET comes with a blueprint and toolset for the next generation of software for the new “connected world.”
Faster software, faster development, easier deployment. .NET is a completely new software technology, created from scratch, both to leverage groundbreaking technologies such as XML and to eliminate the old inefficient internal layers that have built up over the last 20 years in Windows software. Managed code is lean, speedy, and lightweight. These traits enable new innovation in application development and deployment. And, .NET includes a huge box of prefabricated industrial-strength components ready to use by software developers, allowing developers to save time while creating more robust and powerful applications. Aspects of managed code coupled with industry standards invite new deployment models including “no-touch” deployment and software that updates itself.
Lower cost of ownership. IT departments struggle daily to fix problems and work around restrictions rooted in the old Windows COM-based software technology. Companies expend vast amounts of corporate energy in their efforts to prevent new debilitating problems as they endeavor to apply system upgrades. Innovation and progress in leveraging new technology is slowed by severe caution and pessimism in rolling out new changes. The problems inherent in old Windows software translate to higher IT costs and lost opportunity costs. Each of the managed code advantages listed above promise to contribute to lower IT costs due to easier software development, easier and more trouble-free deployment, installation, maintenance, and security. The advantages of managed code are clear and recognition of this fact is gradually growing in the public consciousness and corporate boardrooms. Just as there came a day when the MS-DOS-based software market was pronounced dead, so will come the day when software purchasers will only settle for managed code. .NET is a new and better kind of software and a new set of tools to build it. And yes, .NET makes it easier to build and deploy the XML Web Services that everyone is talking about. Not to diminish their importance, but the fact that Web Services are dominating discussion right now is a symptom of a problem many ERP companies face.