no, no AYB,
The dot Net frame work is a mighty download for some at 20mb, but dont make that your reason for skipping out on employing it.
.net is easy to get, and as time goes on, the dot net frame work is something that allot of windows users will already have. Once someone has it they only need it once.
I first installed the dot.net framework when running an alpha of Microsoft Saturn, which has now been released as Microsoft ASP web matrix.
Here is a sinppet from the Saturn documentation that shows how microsoft is employing dot net...
"While application developers have long enjoyed development tools like Microsoft’s Visual Studio suite, development tools targeted to Web developers have been few and far between.
Sure, there have been development tools targeted to HTML designers such as Microsoft’s FrontPage and Macromedia’s Dreamweaver, but Web developers creating the backend code for data-driven Web applications have had to use tools not quite fit for the job. We’ve either been forced into using glorified text editors like Visual InterDev or Homesite, or are using tools like Visual Studio .NET to create our ASP.NET Web pages, which, in many cases, is akin to killing a flea with a cannonball. Not to mention Visual Studio .NET’s imposing price tag. If it is your job to do application or Web development, the one thousand to twenty-five hundred dollar price tag of Visual Studio .NET is reasonable, but if you do ASP.NET development for pay or for fun on your spare time, purchasing Visual Studio .NET might not be an option.
Microsoft took it upon themselves to create a tool that would be specifically designed for ASP.NET developers and ASP.NET developers alone, and carry with it a very sensible price tag – free! Furthermore, the ASP.NET team did not want to restrict this tool or the ability to test ASP.NET Web pages to only those developers using Windows 2000 or Windows XP Pro. That is, their goal was to make this free, ASP.NET-specific editor able to run and to “execute” ASP.NET Web pages on any version of Windows 95 or higher. Such a product, reasoned the ASP.NET team, would not only help the existing ASP.NET developer community, but also provide the motivation for those interested in jumping into ASP.NET.
One of the first things you’ll notice when downloading Project Saturn from
http://www.asp.net is its small file size. At the time of this writing, the Saturn download clocked in at a slim 785 KB. You didn’t read that wrong, that’s 792 kilobytes. The amazingly small file downloads quickly and can fit on a single floppy, an amazing feat especially considering that Saturn’s big brother, Visual Studio .NET, requires several full CDs. (Note that you will need the .NET Framework installed on the computer you wish to run Saturn. The .NET Framework can be downloaded from
http://www.asp.net as well, and will run on Windows 95 and up.)"
The tool is as powerful as other programs such as Visual Studio .NET, yet comes in a much smaller package. Thats one of the beauties of .net
Since I have had the, net frame work already installed I have also used a number of other applications that also work with dot net, including a nifty little weather app for the desktop. More and more .net is being implemented. There has been no need to load extra .net framework aswell.
Sadly, microsoft keeps trying to phase out java by default, although lately they did decided to keep making it available for the next short term.
Although along side .net java is a very excellent method to also use. Like its been noted almost any OS can use java.
I hope to eventually leave java behind though, and will be able to once xiamian finishes up its work on .net for linux.
The name of your app really rocks too. Good choice. As always best of luck on development.
Can't wait to see the final product
