C#, pronounced "C-sharp," is an object-oriented programming language
from Microsoft that enables developers to build applications that
run on the .NET platform. C# has its roots in the C family of
programming languages and shares many of the same characteristics as
those found in C and C++, as well as in Java and JavaScript.
The C# language was developed within Microsoft primarily by Anders
Hejlsberg, Scott Wiltamuth and Peter Golde. Microsoft released the
first widely distributed implementation of C# in July 2000 as part
of its .NET framework initiative. C# was intended to be a simple,
modern and general-purpose programming language that could be used
to develop software components for a distributed environment. The
newly released C# emphasized source code portability with support
for both hosted and embedded systems.