I wrote an article titled “Introduction to the ML.NET Library” in the October 2018 issue of MSDN Magazine. See https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/mt830377.

Most machine learning code libraries are written in C++ (for performance) but have a Python language interface for programming convenience. But many application programs for machines running the Windows operating system are written in C# and transferring a trained model from Python to C# is usually awkward and often quite difficult. The ML.NET library is written in C# so a developer can use the code library directly in his application program.

In my article, I show how to use ML.NET to create a prediction model using logistic regression — arguably the simplest machine learning algorithm. Specifically, I show an synthetic-data example where the goal is to predict whether a patient will die or survive, based on their age, sex, and score on a kidney test.

The ML.NET library is still in preview mode and it has a lot of rough edges. As I point out in my article, ML.NET is based on a library named TLC which is used internally at Microsoft. And TLC is based on an earlier library named TMSN which was created in 2002 when the .NET Framework was new.

It will be interesting (well, to me anyway) to see what happens with the ML.NET library. Will it become popular and widely used? Or will it, like most code libraries, never really catch on and eventually fade away?

Kidney-shaped swimming pools in Palm Springs, California. People tend to either like Palm Springs or find the town too hot and boring. I enjoy visiting Palm Springs for several reasons including the wonderful mid-century modern architecture and the alien-like beauty of the desert.