Expert One-on-One™ C# Design and Development

Chapter 1. Defining the Language Environment

Most professional programmers use more than one programming language. A programmer who relies on a single language for every task is like a carpenter who treats everything as a nail. Just as carpenters use a particular fastener for a specific need, programmers rely on programming languages that suit an individual development need. This chapter approaches the use of a particular programming language to meet a specific need in a development environment. Throughout the chapter, you discover how the language environment determines not only which language will work best but also how you interact with the language you select.

In some cases, you use multiple languages in a single application. Although the use of multiple languages tends to increase complexity, using the right tool for the job also tends to make the work easier. Just as a carpenter relies on both hammers and screwdrivers to build a bookcase, a programmer may use multiple languages to make creating a particular application easier. Just as the carpenter could use nails for every need on the bookcase, but will obtain a poorer result by doing so, the developer often achieves poor results by using just one programming language. This chapter views the use of multiple languages in the context of the language environment and as a prerequisite for application design.

Understanding the language environment means that you can take the next step in designing your application, which is to determine ...