Before We Start

As already mentioned, C# is an object-oriented language. As we get you up to speed in the fundamentals of the C# language, we will be assuming that you have a good grasp of the concepts behind object- oriented (OO) programming. In other words, we will expect you to understand what we mean by classes, objects, interfaces, and inheritance. If you have programmed in C++ or Java before, you should have a pretty good grounding in object-oriented programming (OOP). However, if you do not have a background in OOP, plenty of good sources of information are available on this subject. You can start with Appendix A, which presents a detailed introduction to OOP concepts and is posted at www.wrox.com.

If you are an experienced developer in Visual Basic 6, C++, or Java, you should note that we make many comparisons between C#, C++, Java, and Visual Basic 6 as we walk you through the basics of C#. However, you might prefer to learn C# initially by reading a comparison between C# and your selected language. If so, we have also made available separate documents for download on the Wrox Press Web site (www.wrox.com) that give introductions to C# from the point of view of each of those languages.