While it is possible to program in .NET with C++, it isn’t easy or natural. Frankly, having worked for ten years as a C++ programmer and written a dozen books on the subject, I’d rather have my teeth drilled than work with managed C++. Perhaps it is just that C# is so much friendlier. In any case, once I saw C# I never looked back.

Be careful, though; there are a number of small traps along the way, and I’ve been careful to mark these with flashing lights and yellow cones. You’ll find notes for C++ programmers throughout the book.