Hoping to establish its new Java-like software programming language on a wide range of platforms and devices, Microsoft has submitted C# to industry standards group ECMA.

The new language, pronounced "see sharp", offers the development power of Microsoft's C++ but is easier to use, company officials said, and will give programmers an alternative to Java, long considered a threat to Microsoft.

Java creator Sun Microsystems had hoped to turn Java over to the same standards body but withdrew its proposal last year, fearing it would lose control of its evolution.

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