The high level programming languages that need to be compiled require a runtime, so that the architecture on which the language runs is provided with details on how to execute its code. All the programming languages use its corresponding runtime to run the application. For example, to run an application developed using Visual Basic, the computer on which the application will be run must be installed with the Visual Basic runtime. The Visual Basic runtime can run only the applications developed with Visual Basic and not the ones developed with any other programming language like Java.
In the .NET Framework, all the Microsoft .NET languages use a common language runtime, which solves the problem of installing separate runtime for each of the programming languages. Microsoft .NET Common Language Runtime installed on a computer can run any language that is Microsoft .NET compatible.
The main advantage of the .NET Framework is the interoperability between different languages. As all the Microsoft .NET languages share the same common runtime language, they all work well together. For example, you can use an object written in C# from Visual Basic.NET. The same applies for all the other Microsoft .NET languages.
When you compile a Microsoft.NET language, the complier generates code written in the Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL). MSIL is a set of instructions that can quickly be translated into native code.
A Microsoft.NET application can be run only after the MSIL code is translated into native machine code. In .NET Framework, the intermediate language is complied "just in time" (JIT) into native code when the application or component is run instead of compiling the application at development time. The Microsoft.NET runtime consists of two JIT compilers. They are standard JIT compiler and the EconoJIT compiler. The EconoJIT compiler compiles faster than the standard JIT compiler, but the code it produces is not as optimized as the code obtained from the standard JIT compiler.
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