Dotnet Features

Language Independence 

The .NET Framework introduces CTS & CLS, where the CTS specification defines all possible data types and programming constructs supported by CLR and how they interact with each other. Because of this feature, the .NET Framework supports exchange of instances of types between programs written in any of the .NET languages.

Base Class Library 

The Base Class Library (BCL), part of Framework Class Library (FCL), is a library of functionality available to all languages using .NET Framework. BCL provides classes which encapsulate a number of common functions.

Portability 

-The design of .NET Framework allows it to theoretically be platform independent, and cross-platform compatible. That is, a program written to use the framework should run without change on any type of system for which the framework is implemented.

-Microsoft's implementations of the framework cover only Windows; in addition, it submits the specifications for CLI which includes the core class libraries, CTS, and CLS to both ECMA and ISO, making them available as open standards. This makes it possible for third parties to create compatible implementations of the framework on other platforms.

Simplified Deployment

Installation of computer software must be carefully managed to ensure that it does not interfere with previously installed software’s, and it conforms to stringent security requirements.

The .NET framework includes design features and tools like Setup and Deployment that help address these requirements.

Common Runtime Engine 

Programming languages on the .NET Framework compile into intermediate code known as CIL. In Microsoft's implementation this IL is compiled in a manner known as just-in-time compilation (JIT) into native code.

The JIT Compiler is however responsible for converting IL code into native or machine code, in this process it implements few optimization techniques like:

-Conversion gradually during the     programs execution.

-Conversion of only necessary code.

-Storing of native code under volatile memory for next time use.

Memory management

It is the act of managing computer memory. In its simpler forms, this involves providing ways to allocate portions of memory to programs at their request, and freeing it for reuse when no longer needed.

Management of main memory is critical to the computer system. In this process it uses Garbage Collection which is automated allocation, and de-allocation of computer memory resources for a program. This is generally implemented at programming language level and is in opposition to manual memory management, the explicit allocation and de-allocation of computer memory resources.

In computer science, garbage collection (GC) is a form of automatic memory management. The garbage collector, or just collector, attempts to reclaim garbage, or memory used by objects that will never be accessed again by the application.

Garbage collection was invented by John McCarthy around 1959 to solve the problems of manual memory management.

COM Interoperability 

Because interaction between new and older applications is commonly required, .NET Framework provides means to access functionality that is implemented in programs that execute outside the .NET environment.

In this process it provides access to COM components in the System.Runtime.InteropServices and System.EnterpriseServices of the framework.