.NET Compact Framework CLR Vs .NET Framework

Microsoft's .NET Framework is a software framework that contains huge library of coded solutions to general programming problems, and a Virtual Machine (CLR) that manages the execution of programs. The CLR (Common Language Runtime) is the most vital component of the .NET Framework. It provides the execution environment for the programs, and manages features such as garbage collection, memory management and so on.

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The .NET Compact Framework (.NET CF) is a subset of the .NET Framework. .NET CF is a lightweight; hardware-independent environment that supports the development of managed applications for Windows CE-based mobile and embedded devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. The .NET CF CLR has all the important features of its 'full-size counterpart, including memory management, type safety, security and execution environment.

Basic Common Features of .NET CF CLR and 'full-size' .NET Framework CLR

The following features are common to all .NET CLRs.

1.    Reflection – This feature enables the developer to get information about the object at runtime. That information may include the data of the class or names of the methods or properties.

2.    Serialization – This is the process of converting an object into a compact representation, so that transmission and storage of the object becomes easy on different platforms.

3.    Memory management – This includes memory allocation, memory defragmentation and garbage collection. Crucially, this prevents memory leaks.

4.    Exception handling – An error that arises at runtime is known as an 'exception'. The execution engine of the framework manages dispatching and cleanup associated with exceptions, and protects the integrity of the system.

5.    Security – The .NET Framework provides the inherent security advantages of managed code using its Code Access Security (CAS) feature. All the assemblies that are loaded onto the framework must be signed with a single key. The .NET framework also contains several cryptographic libraries that a developer can use to design secure systems.