Does C# replace C++?
There are three options open to the Windows developer from a C++ background: • Stick with standard C++. Don’t use .NET at all. • Use C++ with .NET. Microsoft supply a .NET C++ compiler that produces IL rather than machine code. However to make full use of the .NET environment (e.g. garbage collection), a set of extensions are required to standard C++. In .NET 1.x this extended language is called Managed Extensions for C++. In .NET 2.0 ME C++ has been completely redesigned under the stewardship of Stan Lippman, and renamed C++/CLI. • Forget C++ and use C#. Each of these options has merits, depending on the developer and the application. For my own part, I intend to use C# where possible, falling back to C++ only where necessary. ME C++ (soon to be C++/CLI) is very useful for interop between new .NET code and old C++ code – simply write a managed wrapper class using ME C++, then use the managed class from C#. From experience, this works well.
