2022. June 27.
C# is one of the best-known .NET languages, thanks to its versatility and easy-to-use nature. The C# programming language is similar to Java in many ways, but there are significant differences between the two. What do you need to know about C# and what are the features of C Sharp programming?
What is C#?
C# or C Sharp is an object-oriented programming language used in the development of various applications. On Microsoft, you can develop almost any application using C# using the .NET framework.
Learning the C# language and rules takes a lot of practice and is much easier if you have some relevant programming experience. That's why beginners should dive into HTML, CSS, or JavaScript before turning their attention to C#.
But it is worth the effort. C# is very versatile and once you know the ins and outs, it is very quick and logical to use.
What is .NET?
The .NET framework is pretty much synonymous with C# in use because both are under the Microsoft umbrella. .NET is a framework that has made programming faster and easier. It contains class libraries, i.e. pre-written code, which allows high programming speed.
Although .NET and C# are usually mentioned together, there are other frameworks, such as Unity, that use this language. Unity was created specifically for developing games.
The history of C#
The C# programming language was the child of Anders Hejlsberg, the man who created Turbo Pascal and Delphi. In 1999, a team was formed under Hejlsberg's leadership with the main task being to develop the language. The project was called COOL, which stands for C-like Object-Oriented Language. The team's goal was to create a language that could be used to develop the framework's components in an object-oriented way. It was finally presented at the PDC conference in 2000, alongside .NET and ASP.NET.
Many consider C Sharp to be a copy of Java, the hallmark of Sun Microsystems. Indeed, they have many similarities, but the creator says that C# is closer to C++ in terms of mindset.
The standardisation of the functional programming language began in 2001 when Microsoft submitted the C Sharp specification to the European Computer and Communication Systems Association (ECMA). In December that year, ECMA published the standard, which became an ISO standard in 2003.
Where can C# be used?
C Sharp programming has a very wide range of applications. Here are some of the most common ones:
Web development
ASP.NET is part of the .NET framework, through which websites and web applications can be developed using C Sharp.
Mobile app development
C# can be used to develop mobile apps for Windows, Android and iOS. This is possible thanks to the .NET framework, which is the basis for platform-independent development.
Game development
As described above, Unity is a C# framework specifically dedicated to game development. It's one of the most popular frameworks used in game development today, so much so that a third of the most successful games have something to do with Unity.
C# and C/C++
The languages are very similar in form, but there are differences in meaning. A big difference, however, is that in C#, the memory management of the .NET framework is different, i.e., the CLR provides memory to applications and monitors their usage. If it detects that something is not in use, it deletes it automatically. In C++, on the other hand, it is up to the programmer to remove objects that are not in use.
Another difference is that C Sharp is simpler than C++ and namespace usage is mandatory everywhere. This helps to ensure that functions with the same name do not clash, and if they are in the same namespace, they fall into the same compilation unit.
C# and Java
There are many similarities between the two systems, as there are with C++, but there are also important differences. Let's look at them.
One such point is the issue of visibility. This is private in C Sharp programming, and in addition, there are internal and protected internal categories. In Java, by contrast, the default visibility is public within the package.
In Java, methods are essentially virtual, but in C Sharp they are not necessarily so. The former allows compile-time exception handling, the latter supports partial classes and operator overriding.
C Sharp supports co- and contravariance for generics, while Java supports existential generics. The former allows loading with the same name but different versions, but Java does not. C Sharp also has event handling, unsafe context, and unchecked context.
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