C sharp: The high note in Dot Net

Pitched as the Java killer, C#

(C sharp) has managed to make developers sit up and take note of this new

language developed by none other than Microsoft. It is seen as an integral part

of Microsoft’s Dot

Net platform with the applications developed in C# deployed by the Dot Net

range of servers.

As we already know, C# has been derived from C and C++. Other than this, it has

certain other features that are unique to it like automatic garbage collection,

strong security model and Internet oriented communication capabilities among

others. C# also makes use of another critical component of the Dot Net platform

that has widespread support, XML, to achieve Internet communication.

C# simplifies programming through its use of eXtensible Markup Language (XML)

and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

which allow access to a programming object or method without the programmer

having to write additional code for each step. Because programmers can build on

existing code rather than repeatedly duplicating it, C# is expected to make it

faster and less expensive to get new products and services to the market.

In an attempt to get it standardized, Microsoft has turned over the standard

for the language to ECMA.

The MSDN Web site



msdn.microsoft.com



This is the MSDN library, which gives you the complete lowdown on C#. Still

new to the language and want to find out more? Working on C# and you want to

sharpen your skills further? Well, you should be able to get all the information

you need here.

Newbies



http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/



This Web site has several articles, which may be of interest to many.

Beginners could check out the code section for some basic stuff on C#. You could

also post all your questions here. If you are a C# developer looking for a job,

then you could post your resume here.

Tutorials & tools



http://www.csharp-station.com/



This Web site gives you tutorials on C#, source codes, articles etc.

Planning to buy a book on C# but haven’t decided on one? Then the books

section on this Web site could help make up your mind. The tools section here

provides links to various software tools for developing C# applications.

Help!



http://www.csharphelp.com/



This Web site covers information and articles on C#. Post your questions on

the Help Board and get them answered by other developers or just browse through

the existing questions and answers to get your doubts cleared.

Code



http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/



This Web site has articles for beginners as well as developers, right from

writing your first C# control to writing Windows forms application for C#. There

are also several links to other interesting articles.

FAQ



http://www.andymcm.com/csharpfaq.htm



This is essentially a FAQ section on C#, not an entire site dedicated to C#.

Articles



There are several articles on C# on the Internet that make interesting

reading. For example, articles debating whether C# is better than Java, C#

reviews etc.

http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2604273,00.html



http://www.it-director.com/00-06-28-3.html



http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2595241,00.html



http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-09-2000/jw-0922-iw-csharp.html



http://www2.itworld.com/cma/ett_article_frame/0,2848,1_2245,00.html



http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000626S0018



http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2597408,00.html

Continued...

In the .Net world, what happens to Microsoft’s COM and DCOM initiatives?

Is the distributed computing aspect of .Net en extension to COM? What happens to

those who are using competing distributive computing technologies such as CORBA?



COM/DCOM is the building block. They can be integrated in .Net. COM/DCOM will
not go away. We will continue to work on COM. On the Web server, we will

continue to work with components. DCOM, however, will be replaced with XML/SOAP.

There are still many business applications built around COM. SOAP and XML may

not be a good idea in a closed environment, here COM may be the answer.

Why should other companies accept XML and SOAP as standards?



Today, no two Web servers can communicate. This will become possible with XML
and SOAP. While XML has already been accepted as a standard, once people

understand the advantages of working with SOAP as it is platform independent,

this will also be adopted. It has already been accepted by IBM.

What is the status of Java in the .Net framework? C# looks a lot like

Java, have you incorporated anything from Java?



We have not taken anything from Java. One of the key points of .Net is that it
is language independent. Irrespective of the language you write your code in —

be it C, C#, Java Script, Visual Basic or for that matter even COBOL — you get

a pseudo machine code called intermediate language, which is executed on the

.Net framework. The same code can run on multiple devices–PCs, pocket PCs,

phones etc. There is no (specific) runtime (for the codes). You can also have

multiple executables running on a single process.

C# was created from C++ with some extra features, such as automatic garbage

collection.

When do you think the acceptance of .Net will be complete?



It is an evolution and would not be completed. Some of the .Net framework is
being accepted. It is not before 12-18 months that we will see major adoption of

the framework and products coming up.

From the Microsoft side, you will see Office.Net and the .Net version of

Windows 2000 being released during the end of 2001. Visual Studio is expected in

the second half of 2001. Parallel to this, you will see us supporting several

devices such as smartcards, in the .Net framework.