Chapter 1. C and the .NET Framework

Chapter 1. C# and the .NET Framework

The goal of C# 2.0 is to provide a simple, safe, modern, object-oriented, Internet-centric, high-performance language for .NET development. C# is now a fully mature language, and it draws on the lessons learned over the past three decades. In much the way that you can see in young children the features and personalities of their parents and grandparents, you can easily see in C# the influence of Java, C++, Visual Basic (VB), and other languages, but you can also see the lessons learned since C# was first introduced.

The focus of this book is the C# language and its use as a tool for programming on the .NET platform, specifically and especially with Visual Studio .NET 2005 (full or Express Edition).

Many of the programs in this book are written as console applications (rather than as Windows or web applications) to facilitate concentrating on features of the language instead of being distracted by the details of the user interface.

If you are using Mono or other non-Microsoft versions of C#, you should find that all of the programs in this book work just fine, though we have not tested on anything other than the Microsoft authorized version.

This chapter introduces both the C# language and the .NET platform, including the .NET Framework.