Learning C# 2005 introduces C# 2005 and the .NET 2.0 development platform. This book is targeted at new programmers and those migrating from VB6 or from non-object-oriented languages. Along the way, you will learn a great deal about writing high-quality, industrial-strength programs for .NET.
Tip
Programmers migrating from Java or C++ may find the material in Programming C# by Jesse Liberty (O’Reilly, 2005) a more appropriate fit for their skills.
This brief introduction will show you how C# fits into the .NET picture, what you can do with the language, and what benefits this language has over its predecessors.
Tip
Unless otherwise specified, when we refer to C#, we mean C# 2005; when we refer to .NET, we mean the .NET 2005 (.NET 2.0) Framework; and when we refer to Visual Studio, we mean Visual Studio 2005.
Finally, when we refer to using Visual Studio 2005, you may well be using Visual C# 2005 Express instead.
In the following pages, you will also learn some of the concepts integral to object-oriented programming, which has revolutionized how web and Windows applications are developed. Object-oriented programming is closely tied to the semantics of the C# language; that is, the meaning behind the code you write. Obviously, you need to have a basic understanding of the syntax of the C# language, but you also need to understand what you are actually trying to accomplish. This book will explain it all, in the context of creating applications to run either on the Web or on a Windows desktop.
In the past, you might have learned a language like C or Java without much concern about the platform on which you would be programming. These cross-platform languages were as comfortable on a Unix box as they were on a PC running Windows.
C#, however, was created specifically for .NET. Although .NET may become cross-platform some day soon—there already exists a working open-source Unix version—for now, the overwhelming majority of .NET programs will be written to run on a machine running one of the Windows operating systems.