Beginning Visual C# 2012 Programming

Chapter 1

Introducing C#

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER

• What the .NET Framework is and what it contains
• How .NET applications work
• What C# is and how it relates to the .NET Framework
• Which tools are available for creating .NET applications with C#

Welcome to the first chapter of the first section of this book. This section provides you with the basic knowledge you need to get up and running with the most recent version of C#. Specifically, this chapter provides an overview of C# and the .NET Framework, including what these technologies are, the motivation for using them, and how they relate to each other.

It begins with a general discussion of the .NET Framework. This technology contains many concepts that are tricky to come to grips with initially. This means that the discussion, by necessity, covers many new concepts in a short amount of space. However, a quick look at the basics is essential to understanding how to program in C#. Later in the book, you revisit many of the topics covered here, exploring them in more detail.

After that general introduction, the chapter provides a basic description of C# itself, including its origins and similarities to C++. Finally, you look at the primary tool used throughout this book: Visual Studio 2012 (VS). VS 2012 is the latest in a long line of development environments that Microsoft has produced, and it includes all sorts of new features (including full support for Windows Store applications) that you will learn about throughout ...