Microsoft .NET is an advance in programming technology that greatly simplifies application development, both for traditional, proprietary applications and for the emerging paradigm of Web-based services. .NET is a complete restructuring of Microsoft's whole system infrastructure and represents a major learning challenge for programmers developing applications on Microsoft platforms. This course covers the essentials of the .NET Framework for programmers who already know the C# language and the fundamentals of Windows Forms. It pairs with the course C# Essentials to form a five-day introduction to C# and the .NET Framework for experienced programmers. It is current to .NET 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010. The course focuses on core portions of the .NET Framework that are common across many application areas. Separate courses are available in specific areas, such as ADO.NET, XML Programming, Windows Presentation Framework, Windows Communications Framework and ASP.NET. The goal is to equip you to begin building significant applications using the .NET Framework.