Designing software these days isn't as simple as it once was. Nowadays, it takes thousands of lines of code written into library files just to get everything set up so your "Hello, World" program will even run. A lot of programs have a larger portion of space taken up by libraries than by actual novel code. But libraries are like the road in some ways: you can't have car drivers stopping and altering the road or the lines on it to suit each individual driver. On the other hand, it's perfectly fine to design roads and driveways on private property to suit the needs of the property owner. This is a good analogy for the Microsoft .Net Framework.

The Microsoft .Net Framework provides a system where all code developers know what to expect in terms of how libraries will be used. Anyone who develops code within the .Net Framework can modify code via extensions, similar to planning new routes through private property, but the codebase that makes up the libraries remains standardized, like the public roads used to get to each property. Any program written for the Microsoft .Net Framework requires the framework to be installed in order to run.

The Microsoft .Net Framework is also a great way for Microsoft to force XP into obsolescence; older machines--especially laptops--that used to run Windows XP with no problem now come grinding nearly to a halt once the Microsoft .Net Framework is installed because of its ridiculously bloated overhead. Since so many Windows developers are being pressured into coding for .Net, this means that eventually Windows users are forced to upgrade their hardware and operating system to continue receiving the same word processing, web-surfing, and gaming functionality they've been enjoying since the mid-90s. Thus, Microsoft .Net Framework is fairly mandatory these days.