Questions on the Future of C#
I got the following questions in an email recently on C#:
Is C# going to be a fully supported package for the long term? I was going to start a new program development using C# but if there is little activity from Microsoft I will consider alternatives.
2) When a new C# development package will be available from Microsoft?
The second question is simpler, so I'll answer that first. Somasegar posted the official announcement here. Visual Studio 2008 (previously codenamed Orcas) will be released February 27th, 2008. If you read his entire blog entry, you will see that VS 2008 is planned to go to RTM toward the end of this year.
If you can't wait, you can get Beta 2 here.
The first question forces me to make some speculation. By looking at the new features and concepts in C# 3.0 (which is part of the VS 2008 release), it's clear that the C# language team is not done coming up with new ideas. I know that whenever I talk with members of the C# team, I give them feedback about features I'd like to see, or programming idioms I wish were easier. Sometimes, they even ask for that feedback before I give them my thoughts.
Languages do mature, and fewer features are added to them over time. But, that does not mean they cease to be relevant. The C++ language is still very vibrant, and a new standard is in the works. (A draft standard was published in June of 2007.) I don't believe C# has reached that level of maturity yet. I expect that there will still be a number of new ideas that make us go "wow" when we see them. (And that's after VS 2008 is released). In fact, I think your question shows that C# is just starting to mature. It's the first time I've been asked is C# is getting old. Most of the people I've worked with that are concerned about C# in a new development are worried that C# is too young, and not yet ready for serious work. Obviously I think we're past that point, but I don't believe C# has even reached its prime, let alone its decline.