That does it for a whirlwind tour of the .NET Framework class library. The FCL is a vast resource that鈥檚 far richer and more comprehensive in scope than the Windows API, MFC, or any other API or class library that Microsoft has ever devised. It鈥檚 the API for managed applications. We鈥檝e barely scratched the surface in this chapter, but there鈥檚 much more still to come.
Up to now, all the applications presented in this book save one鈥擲endMail鈥攈ave been console applications. Console applications are just one of five application types that the FCL supports. Now that you鈥檙e no longer a stranger to the .NET Framework, it鈥檚 time to branch out and learn how to build other types of applications. Phase 2 of your journey begins in Chapter 4, which introduces the programming model used to write GUI applications for the .NET Framework.