C# is one of the most exciting languages we’ve worked on and with. Most languages have strengths and weaknesses, but once in a while a new language comes along that meshes well with the hardware, software, and programming approaches of a specific time. We believe C# is such a language. Of course, language choice is often a “religious issue.” We’ve structured this book as a tour through the language, since we think that’s the best and most interesting way to learn a language. Unfortunately, tours can often be long and boring, especially if the material is familiar, and they sometimes concentrate on things you don’t care
about while overlooking things you’re interested in. It’s nice to be able to short-circuit the boring
stuff and get into the interesting stuff. To do that, there are two approaches you might consider:
• To start things off quickly, skip to Chapter 3, which is a quick overview of the language
and which gives enough information to start coding.
• To get a comparison of the language, skip to Chapter 42, which offers language-specific
comparisons for C++, VB, and Java for programmers attuned to a specific language or for
those who like to read comparisons.
After reading those chapters, you can then return to the beginning of the book or read each
chapter in the order that interests you.