Programming C# 3.0, 5th Edition

Preface

In 2000, .NET revolutionized the way we create both web and Windows applications. .NET 2.0 was a dramatic incremental improvement over .NET 1.0. This book covers C# 3.0 and .NET 3.5, and this time we are looking at an even more significant set of changes.

C# 3.0 introduces a new generation of changes to a framework that takes an enormous leap forward, revolutionizing the way we program Windows applications, web services, and, to a lesser degree, web applications.

In 2000, I wrote in the first edition of this book that Microsoft had "bet the company" on .NET. It was a good bet. In 2007, I bet my career on .NET by joining Microsoft as senior program manager in the Silverlight Development Division.

Because one way (my preferred way) to program Silverlight is with C#, I have the opportunity to stay very current with this mature yet rapidly evolving language. It is an exciting time for C#; version 3.0 adds a number of tremendously useful features, and the newest edition of Visual Studio makes programming with these features easier than ever.

It is my goal that you'll find Programming C# 3.0 to be of great use whether this is your first exposure to .NET programming, or you've been at it for some time. I'll start with the fundamentals, and introduce new additions to the language not as obscure add-ons, but as the integrated features that they are.

If you are already a C# 2.0 programmer, feel free to skim through the parts you know. The new features are called out by appropriate headings; you won't inadvertently skip over them. But be sure to reread Chapter 12, and all of Part II and Part III.

C# and .NET

The programming language of choice for .NET is C#, which builds on the lessons learned from C (high performance), C++ (object-oriented structure), Java™ (garbage collection, high security), and Visual Basic (rapid development) to create a language ideally suited for developing component-based, n-tier, distributed Windows client and web applications.

C# 3.0 brings greatly enhanced features and a powerful new development environment. It is the crowning achievement of Microsoft's R&D investment. It is wicked cool.