Beginners Guide To ASP.NET

What is ASP.Net?
ASP.Net is Microsoft’s latest Web development platform that provides you all the foundation and services necessary to develop Enterprise class Web applications. It is definitely the next-generation ASP, with a total shift in the way you do web development compared to ASP. Initially called as ASP+, Microsoft further renamed it to ASP.Net.
Why ASP.Net?
ASP.Net has introduced several enhancements and improvements over classical ASP which makes it a compelling platform to look at for all ASP professionals as well non-ASP software professionals.
Server controls make it simpler to do html style declarative programming with relatively less code.
You can leverage your current programming skills by using languages like C#, VB.Net for coding the pages which are languages used in all types of programming unlike VBScript, JavaScript which are just scripting languages.
Event driven model just like Windows programming helps write Event handlers easily with one click. Server side event handlers unlike ASP where all event handlers are written on the client side make the code safer from script hackers.
Object oriented model versus Procedural model of ASP that separates code from the HTML pages making the project extremely structured and clean; hence reducing maintenance headaches.
The code is compiled dynamically versus interpreted as in classical ASP which improves performance of the application.
ViewState which automatically remembers the state of the page on post back and reconstructs the page taking the onus off of the developer to write explicitly hidden fields.
Improved session state functionality-ASP.NET now supports moving sessions not only out of process, but also out of machine.
Straight forward no-touch just copy deployment without having to register any components; components can be updated without having to restart the web server.
Improved caching capabilities that enhance application performance.
Automatic recovery of application from memory leaks and crashes.
Getting Started with ASP.Net
The first thing a novice starting to get acquainted with ASP.Net development needs to download the .Net framework SDK itself. The Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Software Development Kit (SDK) includes the .NET Framework 1.1, as well as everything you need to write, build, test, and deploy applications using the .NET Framework 1.1, including documentation, samples, and command-line tools and compilers. This also includes ASP.Net 1.1.

Get the .NET Framework 1.1 SDK from our tool center.

ASP.Net involves also a lot of GUI programming on the client side- hence an IDE that enables GUI programming will be required. Visual Studio 2003 is the most recommended latest version for ASP.Net development. Visual Studio 2003 can be obtained from Microsoft and other resources like Amazon. For those of you who cannot afford to have Visual Studio 2003 there are few options to choose from.
SharpDevelop- a free, open source IDE for .Net development.
trial version of Visual Studio.
WebMatrix a free IDE for ASP.Net development.
C#Builder from Borland, their Personal Edition for non commercial development is free.
Novel’s Mono for Cross platform development in .Net, an open source IDE.
Please install IIS 5.x if you have not already done so from your components wizard setup. You need IIS 5.x web server to run ASP.Net applications.