The .NET framework is cross platform, it does not only run on Windows. Although not many other platforms have used it.
programming languages made by Microsoft????
I don't think Microsoft has any language that is exclusive to Microsoft?
All of the mainstream languages have to adhere to standards laid down.
Visual Studio is a rapid application development platform for windows that supports a lot of programming languages. The .Net framework, written mostly in C#, uses the CLR, (Common Language Runtime) which compiles the source code from different languages into a common IL code.
This allows you to mix and match languages that suit your application when writing a large program and they all fit and work seamlessly together.
You can download the express editions of Visual Studio for free.
Compilers exist for C++, C#, Visual Basic. F#, Iron Python, Iron Ruby, Ada, APL, Caml, COBOL, Eiffel, Forth, Fortran, Haskell, Lexico, LISP, LOGO, Lua, Mercury, ML, Mondrian, Oberon, Pascal, Perl, Php, Prolog, RPG, Scheme, Smalltalk, Tci/Tk.
C# is, in my opinion, the coolest language about, using all the good bits of other languages and getting rid of the rubbish.
C++ is, in my opinion, the biggest load of a tangled mess that you want to avoid like the plague.
The same guy who was responsible for Delphi, is the leader of the C# development at Microsoft.and he knows a thing or two about code.
Most programs written for the PC will be running Windows. If you want to earn a living programming, you need to know Visual Studio.