Historically, probably the first question anyone thought about when determining which language to use for a task was how fast the end product needed to be. The second stage compile happens when you then run the application. It involves taking the IL and producing native code for the particular CPU being used. And they are doing this for the very reason of remaining language agnostic. All .NET languages stand equal in the run-time performance stakes.
NET provides the same sophisticated debugging and editor facilities to all languages.
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