JD,
Before I start do not misunderstand me I find your contribution to this
thread very well done.
In science, terminology and vocabulary is very important. It is called a
runtime. Microsoft calls it a runtime. The link you provided calls it a
runtime, it even provides a link to download the runtime
In that page is spoken about (just copied.)
"The .NET Framework consists of two main parts: the common language runtime
and the .NET Framework class library."
Here is not written constist only of two parts or is a runtime.
I do not reference furthermore to your text, because all those discusions
where people are telling that the other one is wrong leads to nothing,
nobody is wrong the only thing I try to do here is to get a better
understanding and when you can convince me, that that is a benefit for me.
And when I can convience you, do with it what you want.
In my opinion and all times I had to do with a runtime was a runtime one dll
which translated the intermidiate code (in the same way you showed the
layers, however than only one) to machine code(or API's).
I have myself often called the .Net a runtime, because that is much easier
to understand. (You can check the newsgroups from dotNet on Google and you
will see that I told that often).
However in my opinion did I not tell it right and I knew that I was wrong,
it is in my opinion more than only a runtime.
I will be glad when you can show me a link from Microsoft (not an MVP page
or whatever) where Microsoft tells that .Net is abolute nothing more than a
runtime. Not that there is a runtime integrated that I know of course very
good, but that is not that important, because in my opinion is the
difference between a runtime and an API as well quit quick disputable.
However with such a text on an official Microsoft page you can convince me
completly.
By the way talking about Microsoft employees does not say much, Microsoft is
not a company from only dotNet experts you know.
To answer your last question, I have nowhere spoken that net is an Operating
System. I have consequently only spoken about a layer which can be used upon
the OS. (Not from myself by the way, just from a book)
I hope this gives an idea why I wrote this.
Cor