C# and C#.net

[vbbit]

I have a newbie question. what is the difference between C# and C#.net? Or in fact, C#.net is another name of C#? I tried to find tutorials of C#.net but it gave me only C# instead. Please make it simple so that I could know the distinction.

Thanks

[gigemboy]

Its just another name. C# is .NET In all forms...

[jmcilhinney]

There really isn't such a thing as "C#.NET". The ".NET" moniker was added to VB to distinguish it from VB6 and prior versions, and it was added to C++ to distinguish it from the unmanaged version. C# did not exist before .NET, and is in fact a cornerstone of the whole .NET platform, so there is no need to distinguish it from anything. You'll note that Microsoft has dropped the ".NET" moniker from its languages and tools in 2005 because it is now assumed that everything related to Microsoft development is .NET, so there is no need to distinguish.

[vbbit]

Oh now I got it, so what about C# and C++? C plus plus, how do we call C#? Are they different >

[jmcilhinney]

Oh now I got it, so what about C# and C++? C plus plus, how do we call C#? Are they different >

Yes they are. C# is pronounced "C Sharp", as in the musical symbol. Both C# and C++ use a C-based syntax but they are quite different languages. Similar enough that moving from one to the other is not a major stretch for an experienced developer, although C# is probably more similar to Java than to C++. You could compare C# and C++ to spoken languages by saying that they are like French and English, which both have a lot of common heritage and use the same alphabet. They are similar but not the same, but compared to other languages, like Arabic or Chinese, they may look almost the same.

[~teh_pwn3rz~]

C# == English, VB == German.

Just don't mention the war

[jmcilhinney]

C# == English, VB == German.

Just don't mention the war

C# == English, VB = German.

[brad jones]

Please don't add noise to an otherwise serious thread

Another tidbit....

C# is a programming language just as C++, C, and java are programming languages. C# is standardized through ISO and ANSI, which means there are rules determined by an 'independent' organization for how the language works and how it can be changed.

Visual C# and Visual C# .NET are names for Microsoft's implementation of the C# language. This is their name for the language and compiler. You can program their version of the language in their IDE, Visual Studio. If you have Visual Studio with just C#, (Visual C# Express Edition), then the IDE / product is generally called Visual C# as well.

There are other implementations of C# as well. Most are simply called C#.

Brad!

[brad jones]

Oh now I got it, so what about C# and C++? C plus plus, how do we call C#? Are they different >

There are a number of articles available as well as other posts that answer this question. A couple of the key things that differ them for Windows developers are:

C++ can be used to create native applications.
C# applications generally require the .NET Common Language Runtime

Said differently, C# is an interpretted language, C++ is not.

C++ allows for pointers and requires that you clean up things such as memory on your own. C# has work-arounds for points to protect you and C# has automatic Garbage Collection that helps clean up resources such as memory.

There are lots of other differences as well, but lots of similarities too.

Brad!

[Kasracer]

which means there are rules determined by an 'independent' organization for how the language works and how it can be changed.

This is not entirely accurate. Microsoft actually created C# and then got it standardized. There isn't an organization that can change the language. I believe Microsoft is in the process of standardizing C# 2.0 and is working on a draft for C# 3.0 (last I heard at least)

Said differently, C# is an interpretted language, C++ is not.

C# is not interpretted. C# is compiled into MSIL. Moreover, I don't believe the standard prohibts C# being compiled into native code.

Now you could say MSIL is interpretted, but C# itself is not.

C++ allows for pointers and requires that you clean up things such as memory on your own. C# has work-arounds for points to protect you

Work around? Just mark a method unsafe and add the /unsafe compiler flag and you can use pointers exactly as you would with C++. Not a work around but a feature in the language itself.