programming-for-dummies

“Curly Bracket” Languages 67
C# advantages
C# has a couple advantages over languages such as C, C++, and even Java.
Book I
Chapter 3
Object oriented
One main advantage of C# over C++ is that C# is a true object-oriented
programming language, so you have to use object-oriented programming to
write a program in C#.
Forcing you to use only object-oriented programming techniques might seem
like a drawback until you realize that C++ is a hybrid language that lets you
choose whether to use object-oriented programming. Although C++ gives
you, the programmer, more flexibility, C++ programs can also be a mish-mash
of structured programming mingled in with object-oriented programming.
Types of
Programming
Languages
Trying to decipher such a mix of programming techniques can be confusing.
By forcing all programmers to use object-oriented programming (and isolate
their structured programming techniques only inside objects), C# programs
can be much easier to understand and modify.
The pros and cons of type-safe languages
So why isn’t every programming language typesafe?
Good question; here are two reasons:
Creating a type-safe language means more
work to create a compiler that can examine
an entire program and check to make
sure data types (such as numbers and
text) aren’t getting changed around
unexpectedly. This translates into a slower
and more complicated compiler, which is
more work for the programmers who have
to create the compiler in the first place.
Type-safe languages can be restrictive, like
trying to ride a motorcycle in a padded suit.
The padded suit may protect you, but it also
restricts your movement. Similarly, by not
checking that data types remain consistent
throughout a program, other languages give
the programmer more freedom.
Use this freedom wisely and you can create
programs without the nuisance of type-safe
checking, which can feel like having your
mom staring over your shoulder every time
you browse the Internet. Use this freedom
poorly and you’ll wind up writing a program
that crashes the computer.
Although non-type-safe languages are popular,
the growing trend is to use type-safe languages
that protect the programmer from writing programs
that can mess up its data and crash the
entire computer. Java, C#, and other languages,
such as Pascal, are considered type-safe
languages.