What is C#?
C# is a new language designed by Microsoft to work with the .NET framework. In their “Introduction to C#” whitepaper, Microsoft describe C# as follows: “C# is a simple, modern, object oriented, and type-safe programming language derived from C and C++. C# (pronounced “C sharp”) is firmly planted in the C and C++ family tree of languages, and will immediately be familiar to C and C++ programmers. C# aims to combine the high productivity of Visual Basic and the raw power of C++.” Substitute ‘Java’ for ‘C#’ in the quote above, and you’ll see that the statement still works pretty well :-). If you are a C++ programmer, you might like to check out my C# FAQ.
C# is a language created by Microsoft specifically for the .NET framework. It has been standardised by ECMA for version 1, and version 2 will no doubt go through ECMA when it’s been fully released by Microsoft. It is similar in syntax to the C language of families, and also appears to borrow from Java and Delphi. (This is in no way a criticism of it – it’s always good to learn from the mistakes and positive aspects of other things.
C was the natural name for the successor to a computer language called B. The C language was developed by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie of Bell Labs to program the UNIX based computers and equipment used in the telephone system. C is a general purpose language and is not specialized for any particular application. One of its main features is that it is available on almost every type of computer from a washing machine to a mainframe.