New to programming

[Tim Apple]

I am looking to getting into programming, I would like to start in .NET . I
was figuring on c# but wondered if I should start with VB since I'm a newb?

Thanks

Tim

 

[Cor Ligthert[MVP]]

Tim

C# is easier to learn and more strict in code for a newbie.

VB for Net is more productive in business situations but when you are
learning that is not so important.

Just my opinion

Cor

 

[Dick Grier]

Either should be OK - VB is more "natural" for me, but C# and VB really are
a equal as possible.

Your background and aspirations might be the best guideline. That is, where
do you come from, and what are your goals?

Dick

--
Richard Grier, MVP
Hard & Software
Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, Fourth
Edition,
ISBN 1-890422-28-2 (391 pages, includes CD-ROM). July 2004, Revised March
2006.
See www.hardandsoftware.net for details and contact information.

 

[Tim Apple]

I don't have much on background. As far as aspirations, they are a little
overboard. Basically I want to be able to make web and desktop apps covering
many topics. Right now, there is no project in mind other than an identi.ca
client . Thanks for responding by the way

Tim

 

[SlowPoke]

If you intend to do any web development learning C# is the best advice. Why?
Absolutely --ALL-- web development requires the use of JavaScript and it
just so happens the punctuation for C# and JavaScript are exactly the same
so you get to learn two languages for the price of one so to speak.

FYI the JavaScript is "client-side" and is the code that runs in the browser
once the page has been returned from the server. The C# is "server-side"
which runs on the server and builds the page returned to the browser.

This is not an opinion. I am telling you the facts. Want to know another
fact? There are no shortcuts that lead to mastery of this endeavor. If you
want to be the best you can learn C# and note you must also learn HTML, CSS
and JavaScript which are the four languages REQUIRED to design and develop
web sites.

You should start with HTML and CSS and just get a grip on how to build a
static page noting the most critical part is CSS as the many browsers all
parse CSS differently in many ways so its become a nightmare in a manner of
speaking. Particularly because of the worst software program that has been
developed in the history of computer science: Internet Explorer.

That said, I urge you to search, find and learn to use CSS you can obtain
from the Yahoo User Interface library (YUI) as it is the best CSS library
ever developed and this is not simply my personal bias speaking.

You would also do well to obtain Microsoft's Expression Web and of course
Visual Studio starting with the free version. The xWeb application.

Oh yea before I forget there is one more language to learn and that is T-SQL
which you MUST learn to use SQL Server and even Access/JET (which is not
recommended any longer).

When you are ready to learn C# I recommend using a real textbook from Deitel
and Deitel having been a classrom instructor myself as there are many good
books of course but none are structured and what you are actually learning
is OOP and learning Object Oriented Programming is quite complex and
requires --structured-- learning lesson by lesson.

That's all the time I have for you now so here it is again in an orderly and
structured method:

* YUI CSS to learn HTML and CSS page layout

* Learn JavaScript (Deitel & Deitel) with your newly acquired HTML/CSS for
cleint-side programming

* THEN learn C# (Deitel & Deitel) for server-side programming

It will take about a year to get a basic competency acquired if you do it
this way and much much longer if you jump in without a foundation as you'll
be missing the fundamentals along the way. Windows development should be put
off until you learn yet another language XML because we now use XML
implemented as XAML using WPF for Windows and Silverlight applications.

 

[Michel Posseth [MCP]]

Hello Tim

Totally depends on your background what is easier for you to read

some people believe that this

1.

Condition

if (condition)
{
// condition is true
}
Loops

for (int i = 0; i < number; i++)
{
// loop from zero up to one less than number
}

Compare
if ((a == b) && (c == d) || (e == f))
{
// short-circuiting comparisons
}
is easier as this 2.Condition If condition Then
' condition is true
End If
LoopsFor i As Integer = 0 To number - 1
' loop from zero up to one less than number
Next i
CompareIf a = b AndAlso c = d OrElse (e = f) Then
' short-circuiting comparisons
End If
If option 1 reads more natural to you the i would say choose C# if option 2
is more natural to you then you would probably learn VB.Net a lot faster
In terms of programming power there is almost no difference some things are
easier in C# and others are easier in VB this is due to the target audience
of the 2 languages VB is a true RAD and thus has one liners built in the
language specification to access multiple methods in the Framework classes

Some people argue that this makes VB.Net a lesser language as C# although a
VB developer could just as easy ditch the reference to the Visual Basic DLL
and a C# developer could just as easy set a reference to the Visual Basic
DLL.

If you start coding in VB.Net then at least make sure you set Option
explicit and Option strict to on this ensures that you can in a later stage
easily switch to C#
by just using curly braces and weird variable declaration .

You might have already guessed that i am a VB coder

HTH

Michel Posseth
http:\\www.vbdotnetcoder.com

 

[Michel Posseth [MCP]]

Hmm in some strange way the formatting was totally destroyed so even for me
option 1 was now more readable

second attempt to make my point clear

Hello Tim

Totally depends on your background what is easier for you to read

some people believe that this

1.

Condition

if (condition)
{
// condition is true
}

Loops

for (int i = 0; i < number; i++)
{
// loop from zero up to one less than number
}

Compare

if ((a == b) && (c == d) || (e == f))
{
// short-circuiting comparisons
}

is easier as this

2.

Condition

If condition Then
' condition is true
End If

Loops

For i As Integer = 0 To number - 1
' loop from zero up to one less than number
Next i

Compare

If a = b AndAlso c = d OrElse (e = f) Then
' short-circuiting comparisons
End If

If option 1 reads more natural to you the i would say choose C# if option 2
is more natural to you then you would probably learn VB.Net a lot faster
In terms of programming power there is almost no difference some things are
easier in C# and others are easier in VB this is due to the target audience
of the 2 languages VB is a true RAD and thus has one liners built in the
language specification to access multiple methods in the Framework classes

Some people argue that this makes VB.Net a lesser language as C# although a
VB developer could just as easy ditch the reference to the Visual Basic DLL
and a C# developer could just as easy set a reference to the Visual Basic
DLL.

If you start coding in VB.Net then at least make sure you set Option
explicit and Option strict to on this ensures that you can in a later stage
easily switch to C#
by just using curly braces and weird variable declaration .

You might have already guessed that i am a VB coder

HTH

Michel Posseth
http:\\www.vbdotnetcoder.com