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    > It's just the amount of money spent on Windows/Microsoft for small companies is rather large, compared to other alternatives that are just as good.

This is a complete mis-perception about the modern ecosystem.

We have a full team using C# at a series-C, YC startup with every developer on Macs (some on Beelinks and Linux). The team is using a mix of VS Code, Cursor, and Rider. We deploy to Linux container instances in GKE on Google Cloud running Postgres.

There is no more tie in to Microsoft licensing than there is say for TypeScript. Yes, C# DevKit is licensed like VS, but if you don't need the features, then you can also use DotRush or just use the free C# Extension.

Totally agree.

Ironically dotnet runs better on Linux/Mac systems in my experience. All our devs who use Windows for dotnet dev now use WSL2 as it matches production. We don't use any other 'commercial' Microsoft products like SQL Server or Azure. All postgres/redis/etc and deploy onto docker containers.

> Ironically dotnet runs better on Linux/Mac systems in my experience. All our devs who use Windows for dotnet dev now use WSL2 as it matches production. We don't use any other 'commercial' Microsoft products like SQL Server or Azure. All postgres/redis/etc and deploy onto docker containers.

I am pushing for Linux containers in the workplace... away from Windows, IIS, etc. I totally agree with you 100%. I'm also trying to push us away from SQL Server where possible.

My last comment, which you referenced... focused not just on C# or .NET.. but the focus of "you need Microsoft" in general.. this includes Windows, SQL Server, etc.

Again, my comment is focusing on someone on the outside looking in.. and WHY people end up making decisions away from C# in favour of (something like) Go.

I am aware of deploying to Linux containers, etc.

Yes, I am very aware of this and have spent a lot of time/effort trying to dispel some of these myths and mis-understandings through writing.

- TypeScript is like C#: https://typescript-is-like-csharp.chrlschn.dev/

- 6 .NET Myths Dispelled: https://medium.com/dev-genius/6-net-myths-dispelled-celebrat...

- The Case for C# and .NET: https://itnext.io/the-case-for-c-and-net-72ee933da304

> Need a database - should it be SQL Server?

"I am using Java. Need a database - should it be Oracle?"

.NET Core 1.0 was released almost a _decade_ ago.

???

Java was originally Sun Microsystems.

However - if Java was Oracle to begin with (and as successful in the mid-90s) then might have done some marketing for the Java+Oracle mix.

Some people (ie Managers) if they decide on using Microsoft products will likely "encourage" the use of C# and .NET. -- That is an example of C# + Sql Server.

> Java was originally Sun Microsystems.

I am well aware.

Anyway, for the sake of the argument: "I am using Java. Need a server machine - should it be SPARC?". It makes nearly as much sense.

> That is an example of C# + Sql Server.

I'm sorry but most of us use Npgsql now

Good -- so am i

  > To the uneducated, C# is linked to Visual Studio.. the IDE.. and the Community edition if free as long as you are a student, open-source, and individuals. Professional and Enterprise are paid.

No it's not. What? Visual Studio is a shitty MS product that most decent C# devs already moved away from to JetBrains/vscode.

  > Need a database - should it be SQL Server? Should it be Windows Servers? etc.

.NET runs on Linux just fine, there's also zero issues using Postgres or any other popular DB of your choice.

  > there are many smaller companies (and startups) that may have concern paying for such tools.

There's literally nothing you would need to pay to work in .NET ecosystem. If a company rules out a language based on thoughts like yours, I genuinely believe they deserve to fail. Literally none of those things is true and it takes a minute or two to find all of that out.

> most decent C# devs already moved away from to JetBrains/vscode.

My comment is NOT talking about 'decent C# devs'

It is a RESPONSE as to why more people are not using C# for startups. For those who are not familiar with C# MAY be put off using it for those reasons... and why another language might be used.

What are you talking about C# being tied to Visual Studio? This is 2025 not 1995.

I do my hobby .NET development in Zed and my serious work in Rider. .NET is open source and MIT licences. I do most of my development on a ARM MacBook Pro, or using my workstation which runs Fedora.

We deploy our code on kubernetes clusters usually on AWS.

All of the tooling, compiler, libraries etc are open source and cross platform and free. Not a single one of the developers in my team uses Windows or Visual Studio.

You know there are people.. programmers.. who are not C# developers... and likely refuse C# because of various reasons.. right? It can be based on the fact its Microsoft. My comment is based on startups and, from my experience, people like go all in on C# because decisions have been made to go all-in Microsoft.

C# has come a long way in the last 10 years. This much is clear, providing better support outside of the Windows ecosystem. However, many outside of the Windows/Microsoft ways are likely to be using languages like Go.

> What are you talking about C# being tied to Visual Studio? This is 2025 not 1995.

There was no C# in 1995. (See it's easy attacking a sentence)

> There was no C# in 1995

Delphi was the hit story then.

Correct.

I was using it in my college projects back in 2001.

Silly me, using Rider (and VS Code) on Linux with C# (FastEndpoints and Dapper) with PostgreSQL...

Now the above is personal preference, while my day job is on Windows (also FE/Dapper) but with MS-SQL, which is because another group does DBA. I'm using VS Code for the work stuff though.

> To the uneducated, C# is linked to Visual Studio.. the IDE..

Not native English - does "to the uneducated" means you are directing this sentence that knows no better or you are uneducated?

Because if it is former, you need to re-educate yourself.

C# is not linked to IDE. You can do `dotnet build`? Can run on Linux if you will. Database choice? You are NOT limited to SQL Server or Windows server.

> C# is not linked to IDE. You can do `dotnet build`? Can run on Linux if you will. Database choice? You are NOT limited to SQL Server or Windows server.

People who already are familiar with C# know this. To programmers that do not, may prefer to stick with another language to keep away from Microsoft in general.

Again - my comment is a response about why C# is not used more for startups. I am not suggesting it isn't, but there are plenty of reasons, and this is likely just one.