Stephen R.G. Fraser Managed C++ and .NET Development

Annotation

C++ IS INCREDmLY RESWENT. First conceived to be merely a "better C," it evolved into a language that continues to amaze even its creators. It endures shifts in pro- gramming paradigms and changes in underlying platforms. Support for object -oriented programming was the first improvement over C. Then exceptions and templates came along. Later, template metaprogramming was "discovered." Managed C++ is another enhancement of the language, which supports a rich runtime, with features such as garbage collection, a unified type system, networking and multithreading support, versioning, and others. Though designed as a general-purpose programming language under .NET, Managed C++'s main strength is its scrupulous support of the "unmanaged" C++, easing the transition from unmanaged to managed code. Managed C++ allows you to maximally leverage your existing C++ code and start using "managed" features of the languages gradually. This is somewhat similar to how a C pro- grammer would switch to C++: by continuing to use the C subset of C++, taking advantage of C++ as his or her knowledge of it matures.