If you are new to computer programming and have questions about which programming language to start learning from, we will talk about the general features of one of the most popular languages, C# (C Sharp). Why is this programming language so popular? In which areas is it used? We will try to explain what kind of benefits they can provide you compared to other languages.

What is C#?

C#, to put it simply, is a modern, general-purpose programming language that can be used to perform a wide variety of tasks. Because it was created by Microsoft, C# is primarily fully compatible with the Windows .NET framework. But nowadays it can be applied on many different platforms. Since this highly versatile language is Object Oriented Programming Language (OOP), it is easy to use, reliable and easy to manage.

A Brief History of C#

The first version of C# was designed and developed by Anders Hejlsberg, a Danish software engineer, and his team, to become a part of Microsoft's .NET platform in 2002 after 3 years of work.

Hejlsberg was previously involved in the design of Turbo Pascal, Delphi, Visual J++.

When the project started in 1999, the language was called "Cool" (C-like Object Oriented Language). But later its name was changed to C# (C Sharp) due to copyright reasons.

The # (Sharp) sign is a symbol used in music. A semitone means a higher note on the musical pitch. The reason for this symbol is a reference to the C++ programming language.

The expression "++" in C++ language means that the variable in the software is incremented by one after the operation told to it. Therefore, the name given to the "C++" programming language is a reference to an advanced version of the "C" language. # contains the phrase "++" in two lines if you look carefully. So it is implied (with music and coding symbols) that the C# language is an advanced version of C++.

When the language was first published, the creator of Java, James Gosling, who was about 5 years older than him, accused it of being an imitation of Java. In addition, authors who have books in various programming languages stated that the language did not bring any innovations and it repeated Java. However, the team that created the language rejected this, stating that the language is different from Java and that it has more in common with C++.

As a matter of fact, Microsoft created this programming language for their own use between 1999-2002. Originally, C# was a programming language released with Visual Studio 2002 (IDE - Program Development Platform) in response to the Java programming language used with Java Script. Both C# and Java competed in writing programs that came into use with the spread of personal computers (PCs). These 2 programming languages were heavily inspired by each other before C# took a different direction (v2.0 and later).

When version 2.0 of the language was released a few years later, the differences between Java and C# languages became clearer.

Where is C# Used?

C# is one of the easiest languages to learn. Therefore, C# is a preferred language for those who are new to programming. According to many experts, it is stated that beginner programmers understand the language easily and can progress quickly. This is because C# is a high-level language, that is, an easy language to read and write.

With C#, applications can be created for different platforms as well as general purpose programming languages. Examples of these are mobile applications, desktop applications, cloud-based services, websites and games.

The language is fully compatible especially with the Windows operating system as it was created by Microsoft. Therefore, it is a great convenience to write for applications to be run on this platform.

Since it has an object-oriented programming feature, it provides convenience to software developers in applications to be run on the web platform (Web site, web service..etc). In this way, it allows professional and dynamic applications to be written.

Unity, one of the most used game engines in the market, is fully compatible with the C# language. In this way, if you are interested in developing games, mobile games or console games that will run on the Windows platform, learning C# will be very useful for you.