What kind of Applications You Can Write with C#

The .NET Framework has no restrictions on the types of applications that are possible, as discussed
earlier. C# uses the framework and therefore has no restrictions on possible applications. However,
here are a few of the more common application types:

Windows applications. Applications, such as Microsoft Office, that have a familiar Windows
look and feel about them. This is made simple by using the Windows Forms module of the
.NET Framework, which is a library of controls (such as buttons, toolbars, menus, and so on)
that you can use to build a Windows user interface (UI). Alternatively, you can use Windows
Presentation Foundation (WPF) to build Windows applications, which gives you much greater
flexibility and power.

Web applications. Web pages such as those that might be viewed through any Web browser.
The .NET Framework includes a powerful system for generating Web content dynamically,
enabling personalization, security, and much more. This system is called ASP.NET (Active
Server Pages .NET), and you can use C# to create ASP.NET applications using Web Forms.
You can also write applications that run inside the browser with Silverlight.

Web services. An exciting way to create versatile distributed applications. Using Web services
you can exchange virtually any data over the Internet, using the same simple syntax
regardless of the language used to create a Web service or the system on which it resides. For
more advanced capabilities, you can also create Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
services.

Any of these types may also require some form of database access, which can be achieved using the
ADO.NET (Active Data Objects .NET) section of the .NET Framework, through the ADO.NET Entity
Framework, or through the LINQ (Language Integrated Query) capabilities of C#. Many other
resources can be drawn on, such as tools for creating networking components, outputting graphics,
performing complex mathematical tasks, and so on.