C sharp and VB

[Nathan]

Hi,

I have Visual Studio 2002, containing both VB and C#. Currently I am
learning VB as a hobby. From what I've read, VB.NET is supposed to be as
powerful as other languages, like C#. Would there be any reason for me to
learn C# in addition to VB, besides having another notch in my belt or for a
better chance at a programming job? Is there anything major that C# can do
that VB cannot?

Thanks a lot,
Nathan

 

[BGD]

I have been a VB programmer for years (was one of the original beta
testers) but I have chosen C# as my .NET language of choice. I quickly
learned VB.NET when it was released, but in the process I noticed that most
of the sample code, advanced .NET books, source code, etc. were written in
C#. After learning VB.NET I figured what the heck and started learning C#.
It was very easy to learn as it is almost like VB.NET. As long as you are
using the .NET framework then the languages are almost the same. I must say
that it was a lot of fun learning C# and I also found one of the best
programming books that I have ever owned. The book is called C# and the .NET
Platform written by Andrew Troelsen. I have also learned C, C++, Java,
Delphi, and Assembly so it was easy to understand new comcepts, object
oriented methodolgy, etc. but at times I thought that I was writing Java
code as it is so similiar!
Anyway, have fun learning .NET in any language!

 

[Gary Morris]

Hi,

I have Visual Studio 2002, containing both VB and C#. Currently I am
learning VB as a hobby. From what I've read, VB.NET is supposed to be as
powerful as other languages, like C#. Would there be any reason for me to
learn C# in addition to VB, besides having another notch in my belt or for a
better chance at a programming job? Is there anything major that C# can do
that VB cannot?

Actually, nothing MAJOR, though there are some small differences in the
capabilites of the two. I once translated a C# app that used artificial
intelligence (a game), and the two executables did exactly the same thing.
I was surprised to find that the VB version was about 4 times slower while
it was "thinking", and could not explain it until I read about how the
compilers
optimize. The C# compiler does a superior job of optimizing code, and if you
are inclined to study an IL dump, you will sometimes notice some strange
things from a disassembled VB app, like a lot of NOPs where there is really
no reason for it. I'm sure there are websites that go into this in depth, I
just
don't remember any right off.