Chapter 1. Introducing C# and the .NET Framework
C# is a programming language from Microsoft designed specifically to
target the .NET Framework. Microsoft's .NET
Framework is a runtime environment and class library that
dramatically simplifies the development and deployment of modern,
component-based applications.
When the .NET Framework and C# language compiler were shipped in
final form in January 2002, both the platform and programming
language had already garnered much industry attention and widespread
use among Microsoft-centric early adopters. Why this level of
success? Certainly, the C# language and the .NET Framework address
many of the technical challenges facing modern developers as they
strive to develop increasingly complex distributed systems with
ever-shrinking schedules and team sizes.
However, in addition to its technical merits, one of the main reasons
for the success that the language and platform has enjoyed thus far
is the unprecedented degree of openness that Microsoft has shown.
From July 2000 to January 2002, the .NET Framework underwent an
extensive public beta that allowed tens of thousands of developers to
"kick the tires" of the programming
environment. This allowed Microsoft to both solicit and react to
developer community feedback before finalizing the new platform.
Additionally, the key specifications for both the language and the
platform have been published, reviewed, and ratified by an
international standards organization called the European Computer
Manufacturers Association (ECMA).
These standardization efforts have led to multiple third-party
initiatives that bring the C# language and the .NET platform to
non-Microsoft environments. They have also prompted renewed interest
among academics in the use of Microsoft technologies as teaching and
research vehicles.
Lastly, although the language and platform are shiny and new, the
foundations for the C# language and the .NET Framework have been
years in the making, reaching back more than half a decade.
Understanding where the language and platform have come from gives us
a better understanding of where they are headed.
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