A very general question on .NET for beginner

[Guest]

Hello

I am interested learn more about .NET but am uncertain of exactly what niche
it fills in the world of programming. (The more I read the more I am
confused).

What I am looking for is the ability ot write programs to work on mobile
phones, as well as web pages, and to interact with servers.

My background is a basic knowledge of VBA, XHTML and Java. Java can
certainly work on mobiles and can be used to create dynamic web pages. I was
wondering what the benefits of using VB.NET maybe instead of J2EE for example.

If I use things like ASP.NET to facilitate a dynamic web page (i.e can
receive input and give output) can I use .NET to interact with a server? As
an example, suppose I have a business selling shoes and I make a web site for
online orders and purchases. How can .NET allow me to integrate a web page
with a business server such that, for example, if a pair of shoes is ordered
that automatically deducts one pair of shoes from the 'shoe inventory' on the
business server.

The bit I don't understand is how .NET can integrate with servers at the
business side? Suppose a typical business server is written in Java, how
would that integrate with, say, VB.NET?

I am pretty new to all this so please forgive my obvious misunderstandings.
I just want to be sure I am on the right track with the right and most
flexible product before I spend those dollars for the textbooks etc.

I really appreciate anybody who can spare 2 minutes to share their insights.

Best Regards


Alex Park

 

[Flip]

Howdy! Nice to see another fellow java dev looking at .net! :>

I am interested learn more about .NET but am uncertain of exactly what
niche
it fills in the world of programming. (The more I read the more I am
confused).

Yup, been there. .NET is a lot to chew on, and that's just the framework!
Kind of like java and J2EE. The first thing I would suggest wrapping your
brain around is the language vs framework (no easy feat! :<).

C# to .NET is like java to j2ee. C# to .NET is also like java to j2sdk
runtime environment. So in otherwords, if you write a Swing app, you have
to have the java runtime environment pre-installed before you can
successfully run your java app. Forgive me if you already know this stuff,
but it's useful background knowledge. So, if you write an app using VB.NET
(don't get hung up on the .net in the VB language name) or C#, your client
will have to have the .NET framework installed as well. However, the one
difference between .net and the java runtime environment and j2ee, is .NET
is both the runtime environment for your thick clients and your server
environment. No need for separate installs.

What I am looking for is the ability ot write programs to work on mobile
phones, as well as web pages, and to interact with servers.

Visual Studio has a lot of support for this! We've had to do a lot of
dancing in our code to recognize different browser types, but you get all
that logic for free with .NET. YAHOO! :> Maybe you can get this stuff for
free now with j2ee, but it wasn't like that a while ago.

My background is a basic knowledge of VBA, XHTML and Java. Java can

With you java background, you should be able to move to C# quickly. I would
suggest bypassing VB.NET. If you know C#, you can easily back fit your
brain/knowledge with VB.NET examples and understand them, but it might not
work the other way around as easily.

certainly work on mobiles and can be used to create dynamic web pages. I
was
wondering what the benefits of using VB.NET maybe instead of J2EE for
example.

Having already suggested C#, I'll go with that one for now. :> Benefits?
Shit just works! Sorry for the language! But things like handling the
browser's back button is one property (IsPostback), that's it! No magic,
now four months of special development, you get it for free! AMAZING!
Let's see j2ee do that in 2m or less! :< IIS (your server, like Tomcat or
WebLogic) is part of your develoment environment, it works, it's solid,
easily lets you do security, is free (with XP and with servers you buy), and
the admin is a PIECE OF CAKE! Have you tried administrating Tomcat with the
..conf files? What about with WebLogic, the 40G piece of software? JBOSS is
no better. Although the servers are free, you pay for in sweat equity. :<
Been there man, I hated it, and going bald cause of it! :<

receive input and give output) can I use .NET to interact with a server?
As

There are MANY ways to interact with the server. As for specifics, you are
pretty much on the same playing field here. You have HTTP, HTTPS, web
services, remote calls, etc, they are implemented on both
platforms/frameworks/languages. Good ideas usually get implemented all over
the place.

flexible product before I spend those dollars for the textbooks etc.

I futzed around for two years before biting the bullet. I still do
jsp/java/j2ee dev for my paying gig, but I have FUN at night with C# and
..NET with my four hosted websites! Yup four!

I used to run those four websites with JSPs on WebLogic on Linux accessing a
MySQL db and doing development on XP with JBuilder (also running dev license
of WLS), and I have to tell you it was NO end of frustration, pain and sheer
sense of stupidity! I'm not dumb, a bit slow sometimes, but I'm a geek at
heart, and I had a hard time cracking the linux-boys-club, getting help from
linux people is HORRIBLE! Things are meant to be complicated to keep
newbies away! :< However, with the MS world, people ALWAYS want to help
you. Before I did java, I did VB (4, 5, 6), and I missed that community! I
hated asking a question on how to change file permissions and being told to
RTFM, referenced to a command that didn't work on my distribution, and then
ultimately being forwarded to a thousand page manual!!!!!!!!!!!! :<<<<
However, with Visual Studio, IIS and SQL Server, stuff just works together
man! I swapped my four websites (server installs and JSP to ASPX
conversions) in two nights! That's how easy it is with .NET. Want more?
Productivity is at least 10 fold improvement over j2sdk/j2ee! What I
struggled with in creating a thick client windows application in a month, I
did in two nights with C#!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That included design,
implementation and creating the setup program! Productivity? .NET wins
HANDS DOWN!

PS No, I'm not a Microsoft employee, I just like working with stuff that,
well, WORKS!!!!!!!!!! Those are my findings, maybe you or others will have
different opinions, but try it out, download the beta for VS2k5 and play
with it for a few weeks at night. I am positive you will not be
disappointed! Good luck!

 

[Patrick A]

check out this site, they have a lot of info about .Net:
http://www.microsoft.com/net/