.NET 2.0 IL (Intermediate Language) is the foundation language at the root of all the .NET languages. It is this code which is compiled and executed by the .NET 2.0 Framework. As a result of this absolutely anything that can be expressed in IL can be carried out by the .NET 2.0 Framework. This book gives readers inside information on the language’s architecture straight from the most reliable possible source – Serge Lidin, the language’s designer.

* Established and high-selling .NET expert/author, with large fan following. * Broad and deep coverage, with full "look forward" to advanced programming methods available in .NET 2005. * Completely up-to-date with the latest iteration of the framework.

Advanced .NET IL Assembler is a comprehensive drill-down into the inner workings of the .NET Framework. Acknowledged runtime expert and Microsoft insider Serge Lidin steps through the internal structures and operations that take place when .NET code is executed, showing how the syntax and grammar of the coding language is broken down into low-level units that can be expressed through the ILAsm language that runs behind the scenes in .NET. By reading this book you will develop the skills you need to write tighter, faster, .NET code; to debug complex error handling situations; and to oversee multi-language and multi-platform projects with confidence.

Most .NET developers will use a high-level language, such as C# or VB .NET, to develop their systems. However, the core language of .NET is the Common Intermediate Language, or CIL. This language is the language of .NET-whatever is allowed by the .NET specifications can be done in CIL, and it can do much that C# and VB .NET cannot. Understanding how the CIL works will give .NET developers a deep, language-independent insight into the core parts of .NET. Furthermore, such knowledge is essential for creating dynamic types, a powerful part of the .NET Framework. In this book, Bock covers the essentials of programming the CIL. First, he discusses the basics of what .NET: assemblies are, how manifests fit into the picture, and much more. Bock then shows how to create assemblies in .NET-this will cover the ilasm directives and CIL opcodes, and how these are used to define assemblies, classes, field, methods, and method definitions. Bock also covers how C# and VB .NET and other non-MS languages emit CIL and how they differ. Finally, Bock shows how one can create dynamic assemblies at runtime via the Emitter classes.

This book uses a functional programming language (F#) as a metalanguage to present all concepts and examples, and thus has an operational flavour, enabling practical experiments and exercises. It includes basic concepts such as abstract syntax, interpretation, stack machines, compilation, type checking, garbage collection, and real machine code. Also included are more advanced topics on polymorphic types, type inference using unification, co- and contravariant types, continuations, and backwards code generation with on-the-fly peephole optimization. This second edition includes two new chapters. One describes compilation and type checking of a full functional language, tying together the previous chapters. The other describes how to compile a C subset to real (x86) hardware, as a smooth extension of the previously presented compilers.The examples present several interpreters and compilers for toy languages, including compilers for a small but usable subset of C, abstract machines, a garbage collector, and ML-style polymorphic type inference. Each chapter has exercises. Programming Language Concepts covers practical construction of lexers and parsers, but not regular expressions, automata and grammars, which are well covered already. It discusses the design and technology of Java and C# to strengthen students’ understanding of these widely used languages.

Maximizing the performance of your algorithms and applications is extremely important and can give you a competitive advantage, a lower cost of ownership, and happier users. Pro .NET Performance explains the internals of Windows, the CLR, and the physical hardware that affect the performance of your applications, and gives you the knowledge and tools to measure how your code performs in isolation from external factors. The book is full of C# code samples and tips to help you squeeze every bit of juice from your application—lower memory utilization, consistent CPU usage, and fewer I/O operations across the network and disk. Pro .NET Performance will change the way you think about .NET application development. Guides you through performance measurement with a variety of profilers and other tools Explains how OS and CLR internals affect your application’s performance in unexpected ways Provides you with tips and real-life case studies for improving application performance