Microsoft ASP.NET is a free technology that allows programmers to create dynamic web applications. ASP.NET can be used to create anything from small, personal websites through to large, enterprise-class web applications. All you need to get started with ASP.NET is the free .NET Framework and the free Visual Web Developer.

However, these pitches are just looking at one tiny facet of .NET, and looking at it from a business or corporate perspective. For developers, .NET is an entirely new design paradigm.

ASP.NET is Microsoft's dynamic website technology, enabling developers to create data-driven websites using the .NET platform. ASP.NET version 1.0 was first released in January 2002, with ASP.NET version 1.1 released in April 2003. Version 2.0 of ASP.NET was released in November 2005. Subsequent versions - ASP.NET 3.0 and ASP.NET 3.5 - were additive releases, meaning that the core assemblies have remained unchanged since ASP.NET 2.0.

1) ASP.NET makes it easy to perform common tasks,

2) ASP.NET has been designed with scalability in mind;

3) ASP.NET delivers a well-factored architecture that allows developers to "plug-in" their code at the appropriate level

4) ASP.NET currently offers built-in support for three languages, C# (pronounced "C Sharp"), Visual Basic, and JavaScript.