About This Book
I assume that you already have a working knowledge of some object-oriented programming lan-
guage, such as C++, Java, or Visual Basic .NET. Since C# derives its syntax from both C++ and Java, I
don’t spend much time covering C# syntax, except where it differs starkly from C++ or Java. If you
already know some C#, you may find yourself skimming or even skipping Chapters 1 through 3.
Chapter 1, “C# Preview,” gives a quick glimpse of what a simple C# application looks like, and it
describes some basic differences between the C# programming environment and the native
C++ environment.
Chapter 2, “C# and the CLR,” expands on Chapter 1 and quickly explores the managed environ-
ment within which C# applications run. I introduce you to assemblies, ...