C# is a well-established language and, with its open-source incarnation it has renewed vigor and a long-term future. It is now possible to treat C# as a single modern language with the ability to work cross-platform. In Deep C# Mike James, who has programmed in C# since its launch in 2000, provides a deep dive into various topics that are important or central to the language at a level that will suit the majority of C# programmers. Not everything will be new to any given reader, but by exploring the motivation behind key concepts, which is so often ignored in the documentation, the intention is to be thought-provoking and to give developers confidence to exploit C#‘s wide range of features. The book’s introductory chapter looks at the development of C# over two decades to achieve the status of a modern, general-purpose, cross-platform language that still has an edge when it comes to Windows programming. After this the book is split into six sections, each covering specific aspects:

Strong Typing & Type Safety

Casting & Generics

Functions

Async

Data - LINQ, XML, Regular Expressions

Unsafe & Interop

The problem with any long-lived language is that it is difficult to look at it with fresh eyes. This book should help you discard any old bad habits you might have and gain a new enthusiasm for C# in its latest, modern incarnation.

Mike James is the editor of I-Programmer.info, the online magazine written by programmers for programmers.

His career spans several generations of computer technology, but he keeps his skills completely up to date. Having written dozens of books, his recent titles include Programmer’s Guide to Kotlin, Second Edition, Programmer’s Python, JavaScript Jems, and The Programmer’s Guide To Theory.