Updated
Updated · InfoWorld · Aug 20
G# Targets .NET 8-10 for Systems and Mobile Apps
Updated
Updated · InfoWorld · Aug 20

G# Targets .NET 8-10 for Systems and Mobile Apps

2 articles · Updated · InfoWorld · Aug 20

Summary

  • G# is a new Go-like language for .NET aimed at systems programming and mobile apps, positioned for small, secure applications and reusable libraries.
  • The language builds on .NET’s open runtime and tooling, works with assemblies, libraries and NuGet, and is designed to blend ideas from Go, Kotlin and Swift.
  • Support spans .NET 8 through .NET 10—though .NET 10 is preferred—with SDK templates on NuGet, a VS Code extension, and direct compilation via the gsc compiler.
  • G# emphasizes straightforward syntax, async programming and .NET interoperability, including namespaces, delegates and unmanaged code, while also offering Go-style channels through an extensions package.
  • The project is still early, but its smaller surface area could make it useful for teaching, WebAssembly, microVMs and fast-loading distributed workloads such as Kubernetes components.

Insights

Why build a completely new Go-like language for .NET when C# is already highly optimized for modern systems?
Will G#'s promise of Go-like simplicity on .NET actually revolutionize cloud-native development, or just fragment the ecosystem?
Can a pre-1.0 language with known limitations truly lure Go and Swift developers into Microsoft’s .NET ecosystem?