Why is C# so popular and why will its popularity continue to grow in the future?

C# is undoubtedly one of the most popular programming languages in the world, ranking among the TOP 5 programming languages. How popular is C# and what is the secret of this Microsoft product that has been around for more than 20 years? Let’s find out!

The history of C#

C Sharp is an object-oriented programming language developed by Microsoft as part of the .NET framework. It builds mostly on elements of C++ and Java but has features that are not tied to either language.

The first version of C# was released as part of the .NET framework developed by Microsoft. The developers sought to create a language that has a healthy balance between speed and programming freedom.

Anders Hejlsberg led the development of C# and was also active in the design of Turbo Pascal. In 1999, the team charged with developing the .NET programming language was formed. The language was initially called COOL (C-like Object Oriented Language) and was finally introduced in 2000, then called C Sharp, at the PDC conference along with .NET and ASP.NET. The public's reception was mixed: many thought the designers had simply copied Java, but Anders himself said the new language was closer to C++.

What are the characteristics of C#?

It's a modern, object-oriented language that is flexible, even for writing large-scale programs. It is characterised by modules, or compilation units, with the same structure.
In the programming language, a semicolon must be placed after each statement to mark the boundaries. Both upper- and lower-case letters must be meaningful, variables can be the letters of the English alphabet, or symbols and numbers, but accents are not allowed. Blocks should be marked with brackets. The opening and closing of each block shall be a bracket.

The popularity of C#

C Sharp programming is popular, and the statistics prove it. According to an index noted by the Tiobe programming community, C# ratings increased by 2 full percentage points from Spring 2021 to Spring 2022. While in 2021 it had a rating of 4.41%, in 2022 it was 1.98 percentage points higher at 6.39%. Tiobe named C# as one of the most mature languages and predicted that it could eventually take over from C, which is one of the top 3 languages in the index.

The Tiobe index is a composite ratio based on searches containing the name of a programming language. It uses data from popular search engines, 25 to be precise. It shows how popular each programming language is.

In Tiobe's list, C# ranked fifth in the spring of 2022 with 6.39%, followed by C++ with 8.83%, Java with 10.99%, C with 11.59% and Python with 12.74% total market share.

To what does it owe its popularity?

There are several factors behind C#'s popularity. One of these is its open-source nature, which makes it easy to collaborate with other developers. It is easy to use, has a logical structure and the .NET framework provides a solid foundation. 

A large and active community has been built around the functional programming language. If you have a question, you're almost certain to find an answer, or at least someone to help you solve it, in the forums. 

The Unity game engine has made game development using C# possible. A third of the most popular games are developed using this programming language, meaning that 770 million active users have some connection with it.

The advantage of object-oriented C# is that users are not left without updates. Microsoft and new features ensure that users want the latest version.

Its scope of application is quite wide, it can be developed for both mobile and computer devices. It is gaining ground in the world of machine learning, which is of huge potential.

Among the advantages, C# is easy to learn, which means that it is an excellent choice even for beginner programmers. Thanks to the fact that it is object-oriented, it is very efficient to work with, not to mention the fact that Microsoft supports beginners' steps with thorough documentation.

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