Evolution of the C# Compiler and Collaboration with IDE Team

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The chapter discusses the history and evolution of the C# compiler and its collaboration with the IDE team at Microsoft. It highlights the challenges faced due to the increasing complexity of C# versions, the decision to re-engineer the compiler as a library for better integration with Visual Studio, and the value of using parsers in dev tools. The chapter also touches on the development of tools like sharp lab.io to enhance the development experience for C# developers.

Language and compiler design are fundamental aspects of computer science. High-level languages are how most developers interact with computers, so it’s hard to overstate the significance of compiler engineering or the aesthetics of language syntax.

C# is a general-purpose high-level language that was created by Anders Hejlsberg at Microsoft in 2000, and was open-sourced in 2014.

Jared Parsons is the Principal Developer Lead on the C# Language Team at Microsoft, where he’s worked for 20 years. He joins the show to talk about how the C# compiler is developed, the compiler as an API, language creation as an art, the experience of open-sourcing C#, and much more.

Sean’s been an academic, startup founder, and Googler. He has published works covering a wide range of topics from information visualization to quantum computing. Currently, Sean is Head of Marketing and Developer Relations at Skyflow and host of the podcast Partially Redacted, a podcast about privacy and security engineering. You can connect with Sean on Twitter @seanfalconer .