I thought C# ran only in a .Net / Windows environment. Tell me more... Peter

Apologies if this has been posted to incorrect forum. Feel free to suggest alternatives. Requirement: University unit must cover Web Site creation and Programming Concepts. Audience: A mix of students. Some have programmed. Others have not. Some will seek career in IT but not as code developers. Some are business students who just want exposure to some simple Web Dev. Question: Which prog language? Current Plan (very flexible): Cover very basic concepts of Web Servers, Web Browsers, HTML5 / CSS3. Enough to understand that a web page is a collection of files etc . Students will create some very simple web pages. Next, use WordPress instead of 'low level' HTML5 & CSS3. Students experience Themes, Plug-ins, configuration, backups etc. Many students create quite sophisticated sites. Previously VB.NET and VBA (excel macros) were used for programming. Negatives: * .NET requires purchase of s/w and install and .Net framework * VB syntax does not help newbies read/understand c-style syntax used in most other languages that they may experience * Simple desktop apps don't fit into web space * C# is OK, but cost, install, framework etc are still an issue Pluses: * Simple to learn. Useful code. Allows students to automate excel, or have little trouble writing a small scripts or even manage to write a simple stored procedure (they also do some DB work in other units) So, any suggestions on which language you think would be best in such circumstances? (The reason I'm asking this question here is that many people in my workplace have set ideas that haven't changed in years (decades?)). Thanks, Peter