C# IS A RELATIVELY NEW LANGUAGE that was unveiled to the world when Microsoft announced
the fi rst version of its .NET Framework in July 2000. Since then its popularity has rocketed, and
it has arguably become the language of choice for desktop, web, and cloud developers who use the
.NET Framework. Part of the appeal of C# comes from its clear syntax, which derives from C/C++
but simplifi es some things that have previously discouraged some programmers. Despite this sim-
plifi cation, C# has retained the power of C++, and there is now no reason not to move into C#. The
language is not diffi cult and it’s a great one to learn elementary programming techniques with. This
ease of learning, combined with the capabilities of the .NET Framework, make C# an excellent way
to start your programming career.
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