C# 0 The Complete Reference

The Creation of C#

While Java has successfully addressed many of the issues surrounding portability in the 

Internet environment, there are still features that it lacks. One is 

cross

-

language interoperability,

also called 

mixed

-

language programming.

 This is the ability for the code produced by one 

language to work easily with the code produced by another. Cross-language interoperability 

is needed for the creation of large, distributed software systems. It is also desirable for 

programming software components because the most valuable component is one that can 

be used by the widest variety of computer languages, in the greatest number of operating 

environments.

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6

 

P a r t   I :  

T h e   C #   L a n g u a g e

Another feature lacking in Java is full integration with the Windows platform. Although 

Java programs can be executed in a Windows environment (assuming that the Java Virtual 

Machine has been installed), Java and Windows are not closely coupled. Since Windows is 

the most widely used operating system in the world, lack of direct support for Windows is a 

drawback to Java.

To answer these and other needs, Microsoft developed C#. C# was created at Microsoft 

late in the 1990s and was part of Microsoft’s overall .NET strategy. It was first released in its 

alpha version in the middle of 2000. C#’s chief architect was Anders Hejlsberg. Hejlsberg is 

one of the world’s leading language experts, with several notable accomplishments to his 

credit. For example, in the 1980s he was the original author of the highly successful and 

influential Turbo Pascal, whose streamlined implementation set the standard for all future 

compilers.

C# is directly related to C, C++, and Java. This is not by accident. These are three of 

the most widely used—and most widely liked—programming languages in the world. 

Furthermore, at the time of C#’s creation, nearly all professional programmers knew C, C++, 

and/or Java. By building C# upon a solid, well-understood foundation, C# offered an easy 

migration path from these languages. Since it was neither necessary nor desirable for Hejlsberg 

to “reinvent the wheel,” he was free to focus on specific improvements and innovations.

The family tree for C# is shown in Figure 1-1. The grandfather of C# is C. From C, C# 

derives its syntax, many of its keywords, and its operators. C# builds upon and improves 

the object model defined by C++. If you know C or C++, then you will feel at home with C#.

C# and Java have a bit more complicated relationship. As explained, Java is also 

descended from C and C++. It too shares the C/C++ syntax and object model. Like Java, C# 

is designed to produce portable code. However, C# is not descended from Java. Instead, C# 

and Java are more like cousins, sharing a common ancestry, but differing in many important 

ways. The good news, though, is that if you know Java, then many C# concepts will be 

familiar. Conversely, if in the future you need to learn Java, then many of the things you 

learn about C# will carry over.

C# contains many innovative features that we will examine at length throughout the 

course of this book, but some of its most important relate to its built-in support for software 

components. In fact, C# has been characterized as being a component-oriented language 

because it contains integral support for the writing of software components. For example, 

F

IGURE

 1-1 

The C# family tree

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