C# and Java. The smart distinctions

Abstract

Part of the new .NET platform from Microsoft is the new programming language C# which was first presented in 1999. In many articles, C# was compared with Java and C++, and its new and novel features were presented and discussed. In this article we do not want to elaborate these language extensions (as e.g. properties, events, attributes, operator overloading, etc.) but rather concentrate on some subtle and almost imperceptible language changes in which C# differs from Java. These language refinements enable the compiler to mark potential problems which are otherwise only found by static analyzer tools (as e.g. Lint). Programmers can no longer fall into prominent language trap doors and thus save development and debugging time. We hope that some of these language enhancements find their way back to the Java language.