Encoding.GetEncoding(437).GetString() bug?

Question

I have following test program

char c = \'§\';
Debug.WriteLine(\"c: \" + (int)c);

byte b = Encoding.GetEncoding(437).GetBytes(\"§\")[0];
Debug.WriteLine(\"b:         


        

Answer 1

.net supports two different characters, both of which are (usually) rendered as §:

char c1 = (char)21;
char c2 = (char)167;

Console.WriteLine(c1 == c2);  // prints false
Console.WriteLine(c1);        // prints §
Console.WriteLine(c2);        // prints §

Character 21 is a special control character, which is rendered as § when output in text mode.

CP437 allows for 21 to be interpreted as either a control character or as the literal §. Apparently, GetString chooses to interpret it as the control character (which is a perfectly valid option), and, thus, maps it to the Unicode control character 21 rather than to the Unicode literal §.