C# and the history of it

[stevenstuart]

Can some please explain to me the what is C# and the history of C#

[kenobewan]

It may something to do c++. This is assumed knowledge and not usually the type of question our experts answer. Please the posting guidelines. Thanks.

[weaknessforcats]

1) First there was C
2) Then there was C++ to fix problems in C
3) Then there was Java made to look like C++ so programmers would abandon C++ and PC's for Java and Sun boxes (which they did by the thousands)
4) Then there was J++, a Microsoft version of Java with modifications
5) Then Microsoft gets sued by Sun over infringement of the copyrighted and proprietary Java language.
6) Microsoft loses the lawsuit
7) Microsoft abandons Java
8) Micorosoft develops a replacement for Java (that looks like Java) but is in the public domain
9) They call it C#.

[Ezol]

Can some please explain to me the what is C# and the history of C#

I've only just started on it myself.

C# is a language that complies (in simple terms) into code that's run on the .Net
platform. As do other languages that are .Net like VB.Net and so on. Once you have .Net installed in theory you don't have to worry about the OS or machine it's running on.

I suppose it's pretty much like the Java virtual machine thing, but with support for more languages. You don't even have to use Microsoft tools for .Net. There's opensource projects like Mono and SharpDevelop available.

In terms of history, once upon a time there was C, it worked fine. You could treat data in objects (called structures) hide access to functions by not putting them in header files and generally have an all round good time. Then some evil Danish guy...

[RedSon]

1) First there was C
2) Then there was C++ to fix problems in C
3) Then there was Java made to look like C++ so programmers would abandon C++ and PC's for Java and Sun boxes (which they did by the thousands)
4) Then there was J++, a Microsoft version of Java with modifications
5) Then Microsoft gets sued by Sun over infringement of the copyrighted and proprietary Java language.
6) Microsoft loses the lawsuit
7) Microsoft abandons Java
8) Micorosoft develops a replacement for Java (that looks like Java) but is in the public domain
9) They call it C#.

Now then, smarty pants, how does J# fit into this outline?

[weaknessforcats]

Now then, smarty pants, how does J# fit into this outline?

I was working for the Microsoft at the time this happened and I was there when the memo came down to put all copies of J++ into the dumpster. The memo wnet on to sday that Microsoft would never support Java in its current form (i.e.byte code). It was right after that that I got wind of a project with a code name of Cool. I could never find out what it was except that a) Microsoft was developing its own programming language and that b) it was very cool. That turned out to be C#.

But there no mention of .NET. That turned out to be a very big deal.

You see, the thing with the CLR is that all you need is a compiler that produces MSIL. J# is refers to a compiler that converts Java (unmodified from the Sun copyright) to MSIL so you can use Java on a Windows system.

At the time this all happened (about 1999) there was no J#.

I am waiting for the entrepreneur that writes a CLR for Unlix/Linux so I can see managed .NET Windows applications running on those machines. All the code has to do is process MSIL.