The Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard [Paperback]

James S. Miller (Author), Susann Ragsdale (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321154932 | ISBN-13: 978-0321154934 | Publication Date: November 2, 2003

The beating heart of the .NET Framework is the Common Language Runtime (CLR), which manages the loading and execution of all code running on the platform, provides key enabling services such as JIT compilation, garbage collection, exception management, the security model, debugging and profiles support, native platform integration and much, much more. The CLR is an implementation of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI), an international standard ratified by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA), and is the first and most significant implementation of the CLI. This book specifies how the system goes together, and is indispensible for anyone who wants to understand the CLI or CLR. The many annotations explain and expand on the original standard, clarifying it and connecting the dots to make the system understandable. These annotations are direct from the ECMA CLI team and the Microsoft CLR team, and are available nowhere else. There is truly no competition out - or expected - for this book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard is the definitive guide to understanding the annotated specification for the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) standard. With annotations and code samples from both the ECMA standards committee and the Microsoft Common Language Runtime (CLR) team, this book goes beyond the online documentation to clarify and amplify the original standard and describe its implementation.

The core of this book is the international CLI standard. The text describes the CLI and its parts and provides all the information needed to implement a Virtual Execution System (VES) or design a compiler that runs on top of a VES and generates portable code. Author Jim Miller draws upon his experience as editor of the CLI standard and lead of the Microsoft CLR team to guide readers through the CLI blueprint and to a complete understanding of the CLR.

Features of this book include:

• A heavily annotated architectural overview of the standard
• A description of the semantics of metadata
• A complete specification of the Portable Executable (PE) file format
• Coverage of file format and metadata layout
• An overview of the CLI libraries
• A detailed description of the Common Intermediate Language (CIL) instruction set
• Sample programs and other annexes to the standard
• An enhanced online index that allows readers to quickly and easily search the entire text for specific topics

The Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard is the single source programmers, language and tool designers, and library and VES developers need to render the CLI and the CLR fully comprehensible.

0321154932B09182003

About the Author

James S. Miller serves as software architect of the Microsoft team that developed the CLR and as the editor of the ECMA and ISO Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) Standards. Prior to joining Microsoft he was part of the World Wide Web Consortium’s senior management team and served on the research staffs of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Artificial Intelligence Lab, the MIT Lab for Computer Science, Digital Equipment Corporation, and the Open Software Foundation. He earned his Ph.D. in computer science from MIT and has been a member of the Brandeis University faculty.

Susann Ragsdale was the original documentation manager for the CLR team, and currently is a consulting technical writer. Before the CLR, she was a lead writer for COM (Microsoft’s Component Object Model). This followed a long and diverse career in consulting on multiprocessor supercomputers, simulation systems, test systems, and integrated circuits.

0321154932AB09182003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 928 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (November 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321154932
• ISBN-13: 978-0321154934
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference Guide, February 22, 2004

By 

William G. Ryan "Uber Book Nerd" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard (Paperback)

Well, you know it's a winner b/c it's in Addison Wesley's Microsoft .Net Development series. Like their Hejlsberg title, this is pure reference. However, there's a lot to it (almost 900 pages in total) and EVERYTHING in the CLS is covered here. It's very technical, and definitely not a cover to cover read, but there are many good examples and if you need a quick reference for any topic in the Framework, this book is a must have.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! The authorative coverage of the CLI (.NET) standard, November 10, 2003

By 

S. Grimaldi "from the source" (Redmond,WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard (Paperback)

.NET, unlike Java, is an implementation of an ECMA and a ISO standard.
This book, from the Microsoft employees that created .NET and with input from members of the standards bodies, annotates the standard with comments that provide insights into the reasoning behind the standard. If you are in one of these categories, you should seriously consider buying this book:
1. advanced .NET developers
2. language designers
3. tool designers
4. those interested in understanding virtual machines
5. developers of libraries
6. Java developer (wondering what a standard looks like, just kidding. As an intermediate-advanced Java developer, the book is very interesting though.)
7. developer who wants insight into current software architecture
Otherwise, the book is still a useful guide to help you grow as a developer if you even browse it sporadically, and unlike many programming books, it will not be obsolete in a year.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique 'insiders' look at many details that would otherwise not be exposed, November 8, 2005

By 

Damon Carr "Damon Wilder Carr" (Silicon Valley and New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard (Paperback)

This is not just a reference guide (although it is a very good one). It is also (due to the annotations, often funny) that give you insight into the 'why' behind thing like naming, design decisions, things that were internally debated that we would not normally know about, and in general you come away feeling like you were there creating .NET. I find it required reading and often use it as a reference. 5 stars. An amazing read.

Kind Regards,
Damon Carr
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