What Is the .NET Micro Framework?

The Microsoft .NET Micro Framework is a small and efficient .NET runtime environment used to run managed code on devices that are too small and resource constrained for Windows CE and the .NET Compact Framework.

The .NET Micro Framework enables you to write embedded applications for small, connected, embedded devices with Visual Studio and C#. That means you can now use the same development tools and language that you use to build desktop and smart device (PDA and smartphone) applications to develop applications for microcontrollers. The .NET Micro Framework also provides an extensible hardware emulator for rapid prototyping and debugging.

The .NET Micro Framework requires no underlying operating system. A scaled-down version of the Common Language Runtime (TinyCLR) sits directly on the hardware, so the framework is often called a bootable runtime. The runtime has a small footprint; it uses only a few hundred kilobytes of RAM and does not require the processor to have a memory management unit (MMU).

Therefore, the .NET Micro Framework can run on small and inexpensive 32-bit processors without consuming a lot of power.