ASP.NET vs SharePoint - which one is better for web developers?

Question

I have less information about share point (only basic info). Microsoft released SharePoint for web developers. Microsoft also said SharePoint has compatibility with other .NET technologies like Workflow Foundation, WCF, etc and it's easy way to develop web sites and web apps.

Also as I know ASP.NET has compatibility with .NET technologies and C#. And it easy for every one whom at least work with C# or VB.NET.

So with these advantages of SharePoint:

1. Why we must use asp.net instead SharePoint?
2. Why Microsoft develops ASP.NET (new version 4)?
3. What's major reason to chose one of these?
4. Is really developing base-on share-point faster and easier than asp.net?

Answer 1

SharePoint is an Application that sits on top of ASP.net (3.5 SP1 in the current SharePoint 2010 - No ASP.net 4.0 will be possible). They do override a lot of ASP.net built-in functionality (they have their own .aspx Parser and Virtual Path Provider for example).

With ASP.net you have a very well documented, battle-hardened, mature and stable platform with a good API.

With SharePoint you gain a poorly documented, bug-ridden, very limited application that handles a lot of features that you would have to code yourself (e.g., User Profile Management, Document Organization and Versioning and Social Features like Commenting and Tagging), although for the most point SharePoint handles them really poorly and does not allow you to override them, which means that you spend a lot of time rewriting them anyway and trying to integrate them back.

Basically my advice as a SharePoint developer since 2006: Use it when you absolutely have to, avoid it whenever you can and stay with just ASP.net.

SharePoint is good as a simple document management and very light social system. You can quickly customize smaller parts of it and add a lot of value to your company. But in the moment you need something that even only slightly different from what Microsoft envisions, you hit a wall that you can't pass. It's great for what it does, nothing more, nothing less.