The International Organization for Standardization has certified Microsoft"s C# programming language, the software maker"s alternative to Java and a key component in building the next-generation of Internet applications.
Microsoft executives have said ISO standardization will make it easier to sell .Net products to large companies and governments that prefer using technology from international standards bodies.
The ISO on Wednesday also certified Microsoft"s common language infrastructure, or CLI, the underlying technology used to run applications written in different programming languages.
ISO control over C# and CLI assures developers that what they"re building today will be interoperable with future technologies, said John Meyer, an analyst for high-tech researcher Forrester Research. But the ISO"s blessing is not expected to boost adoption of C# outside of Microsoft"s .Net platform.
"If you write your C# code and you go to move it somewhere, unless that .Net framework is available, you can"t run it," Meyer said.