Dr. Matt Lee (mattl)

First up is Vala — using C#-style syntax. With a self-hosting compiler that translates Vala source code into C source and header files, Vala uses the GObject type system to create classes and interfaces declared in the Vala source code.
Secondly, is Shuttleworth’s suggestion that JavaScript be used to create desktop applications.
Both of these are useful measures against C#, and potentially good ways of doing things JavaScript is the best dynamic scripting language, with a sweet spot between familiar syntax and power, and Vala’s idea of translation to C worked well for the old d2c Dylan compiler.