If you decide to find out how widespread the C# language is among programmers, you are unlikely to be overwhelmed. For many years in a row (the international certification of C# dates back to 2002), it confidently keeps in the top ten programming languages. As of 2021, it was ranked 8th on the list. This position means that it is used by 27.86% of programmers worldwide. Not a weak indicator at all, you must agree.
Moreover, as global experience shows, the place of a particular language in the popularity chart does not always correlate with the programmers’ salaries. For example, Clojure and F# are not mentioned at all in such lists. Nevertheless, (perhaps precisely because of their uniqueness), the specialists who code on them are the champions in terms of income in the IT world. Last year, their salaries were $95 and approximately $81 thousand, respectively. Add also that C# is actively supported and developed by Microsoft. So, it’s not hard to understand that this language deserves the closest attention.
What does the name C# mean?
At first glance, as the name suggests, C# can be easily confused with C++. This similarity is by no means accidental. The developers deliberately incorporated such a “roll call” into their new language. Since the syntax and internal architecture of C# have a certain similarity with C++ and their “common ancestor” C, the name of the new language was supposed to hint to programmers that the new language is easy to learn for them.
In C++ the two pluses mean that after the calculation the variable must be increased by one. In turn, the name C# was inspired by the musical notation whereby a sharp symbol indicates that the written note should be made a semitone higher in pitch. In addition, the sharp symbol resembles four pluses connected all in one, which, according to the developers’ intention, indicates that C# is a logical continuation and step forward relative to C++. Since it is customary for musicians to call # the “sharp symbol,” the new language is pronounced as “C sharp.”
What is C# used for?
It’s worth mentioning that the community of programming languages developers found the “addition to the family” far from friendly. The Java creators, in unison, argued that C# was merely copying their development under a new name. Meanwhile, Angelika Langer and Klaus Kreft, who wrote a detailed C++ manual, stated that “C# is the same C++, only more boring.”
However, time puts everything in its place. It quickly became apparent that Java and C# were going in entirely different directions. As for C++, and especially C, Microsoft and many leading IT companies clearly prefer C#, as evidenced by impartial statistics. According to a 2021 survey, developers consider C# significantly ahead of other C-based solutions among the most popular languages. This is primarily because C# provides key resources for app development, which allows you to create high-class applications.
Thus, to more clearly understand what C# is used for, it makes sense to refer to the experience of a successful C# development team. To learn about the features and unique capabilities of this language with specific examples, you can follow the blog on the QArea software development company website.
It is important to emphasize that the flexibility and portability of C#-based software solutions extends the scope of any C# application almost indefinitely. This property makes C# a universal language for developing both highly specialized utilities and large-scale software systems.
Three main directions
Whether you are a C# developer or a project manager, considering involving an outsourced C# team; you will face several critical organizational issues. Obviously, any more or less significant project involves the distribution of software roles and responsibilities. Of course, the structure you define will depend on which of the main three directions you intend to move in. C# is most efficient in the following areas.
● Windows applications.
Since Microsoft supports and develops C#, offering a wide range of tools and platforms for developers, there is no doubt that it is this language that allows you to create programs that most seamlessly integrate into this operating system.
● Web applications.
The cross-platform nature of C# solutions ensure that web applications written in this language will run equally quickly and smoothly in any browser and on any system.
● Games
As you probably know, the vast majority of the most popular, award-winning games are based on the Unity engine. And this engine, in turn, is based on C#. Even this fact alone is a persuasive argument in choosing this particular software solution.
Summing up
Resuming the review of the origin and possibilities of C#, I would like to emphasize the main advantages of this language, namely:
- Cross-platform
- High portability and scalability
- Applicability in the most popular games
- Seamless Windows experience and broad support from Microsoft
- The relative ease of learning
- Fast timelines for developing C# applications
- Comprehensive support of a large professional community
All of the above and many other specific features make C# a desirable language for learning, using as a main language in the stack, and outsourcing C# projects.
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