The Goods and the Bads of C# Programming

A programming language is assumed topnotch when it’s easy to learn, performs well, and can be used for any type of task, application, or platform. Today, we’re looking at C#, a standard example among other .NET technologies. For decades, expert developers select C# language for backend architecture and Windows apps.

Looking at the qualities of С# programming, we’ll discuss specific features and problems existing. Furthermore, we will figure out how it can be compared to other languages like Java. Examining both the strong and weak sides of C#, we’ll understand if it’s worth the candle.

The Pros of C# Programming

Object-Oriented Programming

From the beginning, C# was based on object-oriented programming (OOP) principles. This coding concept assumes you can define the kind and structure of data and apply the set of standard functions. OOP collects data into objects, making it easier to split the application into smaller pieces that are faster to build, manage, and combine.

High-Level Language with Memory Access Capabilities

C# language is believed to be a high-level language because its syntax resembles human language. In other words, it has a high class of abstraction from a machine code, which is why we need to compile the code written in C# for the hardware to understand its commands.

C-Family of Languages

C# links to the C-family of programming languages. While it’s not helpful on its own, learning c sharp development company will make it more effortless to learn C, C++, or Java, as these languages utilize similar syntax and programming principles.

Visual Studio as a Native IDE

An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a workspace for programmers that delivers the means for writing, testing, debugging, and compiling code during development.

Visual Studio is regarded as one of the industry standards of how an IDE should look. It is employed for all types of .NET applications written in C# or any other supported language. The use of other C-related languages and their frameworks are also obtainable in Visual Studio.

Inbuilt Garbage Collector

Handling memory allocation is one of the crucial tasks for maintaining application performance. For this objective, C# has an inbuilt garbage collector.

A garbage collector is a memory manager that follows unused objects and frees memory automatically. Working with the managed code usually demands developers to write additional code to avoid memory leaks. Automatic memory management frees developers from writing commands to reclaim unused objects, cleanse the memory, and distribute it to new ones.

Type-Safe Language with Dynamic Capabilities

C# is type-safe, which implies that a variable can’t change its type across the code. For instance, if you’ve declared a variable GoodDay as an integer, you can only assign exact numeric values to it, and string values like Saturday or Sunday are unacceptable.

Thorough Documentation

Microsoft actively develops and sustains C#. Within the last four years, there were 3 significant releases along with .NET 5, which significantly improved the development experience.

Microsoft delivers extensive documentation for C# and .NET, including interactive tutorials, video series, and problem explanations. A major part of the documentation is devoted to the .NET resources like the common type system, compilers, and asynchronous programming capabilities with C#. The remainder of the pages covers the basics of C# programming on different versions of the language.

The Cons of C# Programming

There is forever a tradeoff between the programming language features. Since what’s beneficial in one circumstance, can be a challenge in another.

C# Performance isn’t the Absolute Best

You can gauge the performance of a language in terms of compilation time and the actual application performance. In comparison to its closest counterpart Java, C# has a matching compilation time. But the application performance benchmarks exhibit lightly faster results for C# .NET.

Of course, the subject of performance relies on many factors, such as code optimization and used runtime. Furthermore, while there is no clear winner between Java and C#, C++ jumps ahead of both of them in code execution time.

Dependence on .NET Platform

As we said, C# heavily depends on .NET resources to run on different operating systems or platforms. Nevertheless, on its own, it’s not that flexible if you’re not considering .NET as your main technology stack.

Hard Learning Curve

While C# is not the most effortless language to learn on its own, using .NET libraries adds another layer of difficulty. Libraries in .NET are often updated. Moreover, there are thousands of resources you require to know before getting your job in C# programming. Not to mention you’ll have to work with numerous runtimes if you want to develop cross-platform applications as C# or .NET apps don’t work on Linux or macOS natively.

Read More: What Is C Sharp Development And Why To Start Using It?

Conclusion

C# is a strong and flexible language with many mechanisms and paradigms that greatly improve productivity. As with any software tool or language, though, having a restricted understanding or appreciation of its capabilities can sometimes be more of an impediment than a benefit, leaving one in the proverbial condition of “knowing enough to be dangerous.”