Why .NET Core is Thrilling The Developers?

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Suddenly everyone started talking about .NET core 3.0. What’s really going on?

Is it something brand new or just the maturation of features spawned out of the previous versions?

Well, Yes .NET Core 3.0 Has A Lot Of Exciting Features To Offer. It Highlights The

• Support for Windows desktop applications,
• Windows Presentation Framework
• UWP XAML
• Entity Framework 6
• Razor components
• Support for C# 8.0
• Supports Machine Learning and IoT

To understand, how .NET core 3 came into existence, let’s first walk through the history of .NET Core Development

What is .NET Core?

The .NET core is a free and open-source platform developed by Microsoft and maintained by the .NET community on GitHub.

.NET Core 1.0

The first version of .NET, .NET Core 1.0 released in 2016 with an aim to develop open-source and cross-platform (Windows OS, Mac OS & Linux) support.

It can be even used to develop cloud & IoT applications and also supports Docker containers, Razor pages, C#, visual basic and F# languages.

Everything can be done from the command line without the need for IDE. .NET core 1.0 came up with the new versions of ASP.NET and Entity Framework (EF).

The Components Of .NET Core Are Distributed In the Following Ways:

• .NET Core Runtime— includes the .NET Core runtime and framework libraries.
• NET Core Runtime— includes ASP.NET Core and .NET Core runtime and framework libraries.
• .NET Core SDK— includes the .NET CLI Tools, ASP.NET Core runtime, and .NET Core runtime and framework.

.NET Core 2.0

The release of .NET core 2.0 is faster than its predecessor. Developers can build applications using command line console and can get support with more than 20,000 APIs which was not supported in previous versions.

It supports the common framework for the enterprise code on all the devices and cloud. It also included Windows-only APIs and also brought Razor Pages and SignalR that were missing from .NET core 1.0.

.NET Core 3.0

The release is really focused on developing Windows desktop applications using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Forms and Entity Framework 6 (EF6).

While the .NET core 3.0 has a lot to offer; it is essential to have a good understanding of what features and advantages it has stored-in for developers.

So, here is the.Net Core 3.0 for all those enterprises or developers who are planning to get an application made or upgraded to.Net Core 3.

The Deployment Model

Do you think that .NET is changing its model? Well no, It isn’t changing with this new version.

Image Courtesy: devblogs.microsoft.com

Architecture has not changed; Web, Data, AI/ML, Cross-Platform is the same as the previous version.
The new part is Windows Desktop packs which support Windows application on the .NET core in the Windows OS. This enables the developers to develop Desktop apps in the same environment.

Before the release, two different frameworks were needed, which consumed more time and resulted in a tedious process.

Developers will be able to run new and existing Windows desktop applications on .NET Core 3.0 and enjoy all the benefits that .NET Core has to offer.

Let’s See Some Of The Features Of .NET Core 3.0

Support of Entity Framework Core 3 (EF core 3)

LINQ (Language Integrated Query) enables to write a virtually unlimited complicated query; which is a huge challenge for LINQ providers.

To address this, .NET Core 3 support a new version of Entity Framework (EF Core 3), which includes significant changes to its LINQ implementation to generate efficient queries. EF core will choose what part of the query can be translated to SQL and then execute the rest of the query in memory.

Moreover, with EF core 3.0, developers will be able to use awesome features of C# 8.0 like Async streams, Nullable reference types etc.

Side-By-Side Versions That Support WinForms And WPF:

In the existing scenario, only one version of the .NET framework is supported on a machine. This may create some issues like security fix, bugfix or new API can break applications on the machine.
But, with .NET core 3.0, developers can run multiple versions side by side. Applications can be locked to one of the versions; when ready and tested it can be moved to use different versions.

Makes It Easy To Convert Existing Desktop Applications to .NET Core 3.0

It follows the straightforward process of converting an existing desktop application to the .NET core 3.

The developers need to do is:

• Analyze the third-party dependencies when running on .NET core
• Target the existing desktop applications to the .NET Core 3 and recompile for ensuring API alternatives
• Then update the project files to target .NET Core 3.

Execute the plan based on the structure of the framework.

According to the Microsoft team, the Paint Application has already been tested on .NET core 3 and it is converted to the .NET core just by using WPF binaries without even making modifications in the code. Moreover, they observed faster startup along with additional benefits while running on the .NET core.

Provides An Easy Way To Update Project Files

.NET core 3.0 has adopted SDK-style for project structure which offers,

• Much smaller and cleaner project files
• PackageReference instead of package.config to manage NuGet (free and open-source package number) dependencies directly within project files.
• Allows editing project files in Visual Studio without unloading
• Simpler response to source control

When developing Windows desktop application with the use of .net core 3.0, you will be prompted to modify the project files to the newer SDK-based structure.

Ships Framework Directly Into An Application

Prior to .NET core 3.0, developers can run only one version of the .NET framework on the machine. So, if developers want to take advantage of the latest framework, they had to install software built on a newer one.

But, .NET core version 3.0 will allow developers to ship the latest framework, functionality, and APIs as a part of the application. This means developers do not have to install the framework separately on a computer or server.

This functionality is useful when developers are hosting applications in shared or managed environments.

Implementation Of Server-Side Blazor Components

With the integration of, Blazor components, the same code will run on different devices without changing the code. This will enhance the compatibility of web apps.

Blazor uses open web standards to create UI components that can run in the browser, mobile, WebAssembly without using plugins or code translation.

It Offers The Following Advantages:

• No need to use javascript; developers can write code in C#
• Developers can easily use the existing .NET libraries to develop the .NET ecosystem
• Provides consistent tools, languages, and APIs for a full-stack development

However, Blazor being in its early stage, Microsoft is still working on rounding out the technical issues.

.NET Core 3.0 Is Great For Developing Desktop Apps – Quick Summary

• Users will be glad to check out the performance improvements and other runtime updates
• It is easy to use or test the new version of dot net core3
• Enables both machine-global and application-local deployment
• It supports Net core CLI tools and SDK-style projects in Visual Studio

.NET Core 3.0 – The Future Of Framework

.NET Core 3.0 provides developers with a robust, flexible, and efficient tool to build amazing desktop apps. With this release, the developers can explore exciting new features, embrace competitive advantages, modernize the desktop application and make it more advanced.

Undoubtedly, .NET Core 3.0 offers a bunch of additional features and upgrades to enhance the desktop application. If you want to gain a competitive advantage and know about our asp .net development offerings, get in touch with us.

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Chatbots – Transforming Customer Experience to the Next Level

40% of consumers do not care whether a chatbot or a real human helps them if they are getting the help, they need

By 2020, the average person will have more conversations with bots than with their spouse

57% of our respondents were interested in getting real-time answers from bots on a company website

67% of US millennials said they are likely to purchase products and services from brands using a chatbot

By 2020, chatbots should take over 85% of customer service interactions

What do these statistics and trends point towards? Rise of the “Chatbots”, yes, for sure plus something more. These proven statistics indicate that chatbots are surely the face of the future and more importantly, chatbots are turning out to be the most active and popular medium to enhance the customer experience. These bots can have actual conversations with the consumers and make their lives better.

It is the jet age today. Expectations of technology are higher than before. There is an increasing need for fast, real-time, on-demand, effective and simplistic information supply. Clients are bound to either get frustrated or lose trust if these parameters aren’t met. And that has given rise to chatbots getting closer to customers and offering them an appealing experience.

Chatbot responsiveness is on a high. Customers are wanting to interact more with chatbots and as a result, organizations are keen to embed chatbots in their business. 

Before we plunge deeper into how chatbots are instrumental in offering an augmented client experience, let us glance through what chatbots are and their key features.

“Chatbots Will Be Indistinguishable from Humans by 2029” - Ray Kurzweil

Chatbots – The Face of the Future

There are chances you may have interacted with a chatbot, not realizing it was a chatbot and not a human figure. That is what is the magic of a good chatbot. As an application to perform basic tasks, answer customer queries, help clients in their tasks, etc., chatbots are majorly responsible for streamlining interactions between businesses and customers.

Artificial Intelligence Solutions is revolutionizing the business world and hence chatbots driven by AI are becoming the latest buzzword today. Especially from the point of view of a customer, an AI-driven chatbot offers an enduring and appealing experience, very similar to that of a human being. 

Chatbots prove to be advantageous to both – the business owners by seamless and continuous interaction with customers and to the customers for having assistance as and when required. With the help of AI, chatbots are now all set to perform tasks that haven’t been seen before for e.g., helping customer do shopping, choose their preferences, plan a vacation, etc. Only time will tell!

The very first question that comes to our mind:

“Where Do Chatbots Reside?”

Chatbots reside on popular platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, etc. Their working is dependent upon a pre-described set of guidelines. Preliminary level of chatbots can perform just the commands that they have been programmed to work on. Advanced level of chatbots, along with the help of AI, can perceive the language as well as the commands. Chatbots can manage and monitor the different level of tasks such as simplifying a purchase, collaborate with clients, offer content level data, provide answers to queries, etc.

What Are the Key Benefits Offered by Chatbots For an Impeccable Experience to Customers?

• Round the Clock Support and Service

A service and support criteria very important for the customer is that it should be available any time of the day. Chatbots just do the same. They are never off work and hence can provide 24 * 7 support to clients. There are no chances of the customer having to face voicemails or email messages. Since chatbots can recognize a certain range of feelings, it becomes easier to satisfy the customer by relocating the call to the concerned, for a quicker and effective action.

• Least Waiting Period

Usually, customers find it very irritating to keep waiting for the next free person in communication. With chatbots, there is generally no wait time. Chatbots are available as soon as you connect to them. Chatbots possess a lot of customer information with them and hence can solve client queries almost immediately. This also creates a good impression with the customers and offering them the least wait time.

• Collate Customer Information and Customize Interactions

While interacting with clients, chatbots can collect a variety of information and provide it to the concerned departments for further analysis/action. This can help them tailor their interaction with the customers and offer them a pleasing experience. 

• Enhances Brand Faithfulness and Customer Relationship

Organizations are keen to have a closer rapport with their customers and thereby build their brand image. Chatbots help them connect frequently with customers with different reasons like wishing them on their birthdays, offering them attractive schemes, asking for a product review, reminding them of the next purchase, etc. Such activities help businesses build up their brand image in front of customers and keeps the clients happily connected.

• Facilitates Live Chatting 

With the aid of Natural Language Processing (NLP), most chatbots are well equipped to chat live with customers. They can understand, analyze and reply to customer queries, as well as human interaction would. Nowadays, chatbots are integrated into organizational websites or applications so that customers can instantly access the needed resources with the chatbot’s help. 

• Better Version of IVR

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are the most common methodology to interact with customers but at times, it gets very frustrating for clients to keep patience while the IVR gets you to the right channel. Chatbots can be considered an enhanced version of IVR wherein they are almost as natural and receptive as humans. Customers are sure to get a feeling that they are being understood and heard instantly. 

• Flexible Ways of Connecting with Customers

Be it text or voice, chatbots are effective. Be it through Facebook Messenger or any other website, chatbots can do it. Chatbots turn out to be flexible enough to connect with customers through disparate methods and channels and hence are more approachable. 

• Brand Embodiment

Since chatbots have many faces that can be represented, many channels through which they can connect, it is easier for them to portray different facets of the business brands. They can easily engage with clients, keep them engrossed, raise their curiosity level and keep them glued to the business brand. Also, they can be leveraged to attract an increasing number of clients via different marketing activities.

• Faster Availability of Client Details

Customer finds filling in forms as a very boring task. They are always unenthusiastic to fill in n number of details and this could be the main reason they may not be further interested in exploring products. Chatbots turn out to be quite effective in getting basic client details from the client and storing that information in the desired manner. 

• Lesser Resources Needed for Client Support

Chatbots are efficient and faster versions of human figures and hence can replace human resources to a large extent. The need for more resources automatically reduces and leads to big time-saving in cost-effectiveness. Of course, no one to replace human interference for some tasks, but surely, chatbots can be of great help in reducing the number of resources. It also plays an instrumental role in getting increased productivity and saving on person-hours of efforts put. 

• Automation of Monotonous Activities

At certain times, there are numerous tasks that are repetitive in nature and yet important to perform. Chatbots can be of great help in getting those tasks done, even if it involves interacting with the customer and thereby, save a lot of energy, time and money. 

• A Smoother Experience

While the client is navigating through websites or applications, chatbots can be fitted in appropriately to offer needed information to fasten the process. It can also be helpful in collecting data, offering suggestions, gathering feedback and tracking information. 

• Reduced Anxiety to Customers

Usually, customers find it very tiresome to contact the support team because of many reasons like wait time, inadequate information, delay in getting solutions, communication gap, etc. Chatbots can be helpful in overcoming most of these irritations and offer customers a relaxed and positive experience. The entire customer service procedure would be streamlined, effective and fastened.

Some of the Popular Chatbots, Ruling the Globe

• Spotify
• Sephora
• CoverGirl
• Nodstrom
• Charity Water
• 1-800 Flowers
• Swelly
• eBay
• Lyft
• yes Sire
• Facebook Messenger

Top Chatbot Trends Ruling 2019

• Steady, Augmented and Broader Receiving of Chatbots
• Improved Human-like Feel of Chatbots
• AI-Driven Chatbots
• Improved Data Analytics, Pattern Recognition, and Detailed Insights
• Traditional App Interface Getting Replaced
• Chatbots in the Internet of Things 
• Conversational Bots 
• Developing Bots Done by Organizations Also
• Higher Security and Chatbot Regulations 
• Multilingual Chatbots 
• Voice Chatbots
• Interaction Between Bots
• Automated Call Centres

The Takeaway 

"All that glitters is not gold". There are certain drawbacks of chatbots that the world may keep facing until they are solved. But, looking at the ratio of positives to negatives, the positives are much higher. Chatbots are surely having a bright future. 

As technology advances, chatbots driven by AI will be extremely instrumental in offering the best of customer service and support. The major reason for such an explosion in acceptance of chatbots is the increase in usage of mobile messengers and involvement of AI in our lives. Business owners will have to rework on their communication processes to embed chatbots and thereby, satisfy their customers.

Let us await the wonders of the chatbot technology to be a part and parcel of our daily lives. What more magic could technology create!

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Mobile Device Management (MDM) a Modern Day Challenge

The story for mobile devices has completely changed in today’s enterprises. Mobile devices surpass the very indispensible laptops and desktops and are harbingers of technology that manage day to day tasks for various business activities. These devices move out from the controlled areas of the enterprise to the field, the homes of the workforce and even the client premises. 

MDM regularizes BYOD

Bring Your Own Device for all the stakeholders of the company fuels thoughts for safeguarding and monitoring happenings on these devices. A robust Mobile Device Management (MDM) policy needs to be in place for enterprises to ensure valid and verified usage of these devices with or without direct supervision of authorized persons.

MDM puts in place fool proof methodologies for monitoring and scrutinizing mobile devices issued to workforce to be used within or outside corporate premises.  An efficient MDM ensures safety and security of a group of devices using various service providers, operating systems and networks. It exercises discrete control over ever the increasing mobile devices for smoother and secure workflows. 

MDM To Dos

While planning a mobile device management system judicial planning is needed to have a useful system. Besides maintaining the inventory of devices, intelligent grouping and maintenance of inventory becomes very helpful in maintenance and reporting. Physical verification and registration of devices joining the group is quite advisable for ensuring proper security. The appropriate integration of various platforms and databases that the different systems and devices coming together might belong to is the toughest challenge for a praiseworthy MDM. 

MDM Security Aspects

    a) Intelligent user verification logic not only authenticates any user accessing the software, but also gives proper rights to the users as per the roles assigned.
    b) A corporate management policy limits the usage of MDM bound devices to relevant tasks. Indiscriminate usage of resources especially the internet is controlled and a disciplined usage of the devices is enforced.
    c) Highly secure communication channels are maintained amongst the devices and the central panel for intercommunication, secure workflows , monitoring and tracking.
    d) Asset management of the devices is a very important task to be rolled out by the MDM. Management of devices lost or not being used correctly is a part of the disciplinary issues addressed by the MDM.
    e) Real time reports and alerts should be generated as and when needed by a capable MDM to keep the management aware of the on goings and the risks as well.

SPEC INDIA offers a highly acclaimed MDM system as a product or as a value added solution to ZooM, the  flagship solution to Mobile Sales Force Automation. 

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Less Framework - The Dynamic Style Sheet Language

Development of mobile first projects is the latest buzz word in the world of designing. The most popular frameworks for this technique are unquestionably Bootstrap with its successor Less Design Framework. These design frameworks make front end web development very fast and cater to a variety of devices with ease and comfort.

Be it Android powered phones or tablets or the iOS devices like the iPhones or the iPads or even the Windows Phone Series; when it comes to responsive and adaptive mobile first projects; Less Framework comes across as a dependable framework based on HTML, CSS and JS. It is compatible with all the well known browsers like IE 9, Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera. Both Less Framework and Bootstrap are licensed under the MIT license and available at GitHub as an open-source. They share the common purpose of enabling mobile apps and websites to become cross-platform and cross-device.

Less - How it Works
Less frame work uses static width and media-queries to switch between different designs for different popular screen resolutions. It consists of 4 layouts and 3 typography sets based on a single grid. The CSS grid framework modifies the designs of the websites and mobile apps into adaptive and queries code the Child and the Dependent Layouts. Child layouts are obviously controlled by device size and browsers.



Less is a CSS pre-processor, extending the CSS language by allowing variables, mixins, functions and other objects making it more maintainable and scalable. Less runs inside Node, in the browser with compatibility with third party tools for compilation.

Less Framework more than achieves its task of building efficient websites with consistent layouts. The single grid base gives the layouts a similar look and feel where the elements can be reused and fitted easily across the layouts. Less sticks to simple HTML and CSS coding. It makes the development and design simple for all browsers and various devices.

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