C# Compared to Other Languages
C# is a modern, component-orientated language with many features in common with other .NET Framework programming languages. C# has only about 80 keywords, most of which will be familiar to anyone who has worked with C, C++, Java or Visual Basic. There are syntax differences, but they are generally minor.
Learning C# is made easier by the Visual C# Express Edition editing environment which uses IntelliSense to do a lot of the hard work for you. The C# editor automatically keeps your code tidy, suggests methods and other properties as you need them, and highlights potential errors as you type.
Hello, World!
To give you a quick idea what a C# program looks like, here is the famous "Hello, World!" application in several different languages:
// C# Hello, World!
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");
}
}
// C++ Hello, World!
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
static int main()
{
cout << "Hello World!" << endl;
return 0;
}
' Visual Basic Hello, World!
Module Module1
Sub Main()
Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!")
End Sub
End Module
// Java Hello, World!
class HelloWorldApp
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
System.out.println("Hello, World!");
}
}
For programmers experienced with other languages, C#'s most important differences are listed in the following sections.
C# Compared to C and C++
Memory is managed with a garbage collection system: there is no delete method to undo a call to new.
Header (.h) files are not used, or required. The information stored in header files is now stored as part of an assembly.
In a C# program, no semicolons are required after closing braces in a class definition.
The Main method is capitalized, and is a member of a static class. Main returns int or void.
Every program must have a Main method, or it will not compile.
The switch statement's break statement is not optional.
Conditions must be Boolean.
Default values are assigned by the compiler (null for reference types, 0 for value types).
C# Compared to Visual Basic
Semicolons are used instead of line breaks.
C# is case-sensitive, for example, the Main method is capitalized.
Conditions must be Boolean.
C# Compared to Java
The Main method is capitalized.
Boxing and unboxing convert between value and reference types: there is no need to create wrapper types.
A final class in Java is a sealed class in C#.
C# supports properties.
C# methods are non-virtual by default.
C# supports attributes for including extra information for the compiler.
See Also
Tasks
How to: Build a C# Application in 60 Seconds