VB vs C# vs C++ vs J#

[Steve C. Orr [MVP, MCSD]]

True, but how many C# developers do you know that humble themselves by
resorting to that? Most of them rewrite these functions themselves so they
can stay "pure" even though its a big waste of time.

Anyway, why not just use VB.NET if you're going to be using its functions
anyway?

--
I hope this helps,
Steve C. Orr, MCSD, MVP
http://SteveOrr.net

 

[Steve C. Orr [MVP, MCSD]]

I think you're exagerating.
Maybe there are *slightly* more examples in C# on the web than in VB.NET,
but I see it as about a 60% / 40% mix.
So yours is not a very convincing argument if you ask me.

--
I hope this helps,
Steve C. Orr, MCSD, MVP
http://SteveOrr.net

 

[tdavisjr]

LOL! I can't beleive we are going down this road again. Microsoft,
look what you have done! Forget the language, lets just keep coding as
thats what we do best.

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Let's not get all religious about this, Steve. If people want to code in
VB.Net, that's fine. If they don't, that's fine. I don't see the need for
any "wars" (to quote another contributor) over it. The whole debate is
rather silly. As a developer, all I care about is having the tools I need to
do what I need to do, and knowing how to use them. I don't care what sort of
skin they wear. And I'm not advocating one over the other. What I *do*
advocate is that people who develop software know what the heck they are
doing, and why. That is what makes or breaks a programmer. The best tools in
the world don't make the best developers. And that's got nothing to do with
what language one writes in.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
You can lead a fish to a bicycle,
but you can't make it stink.

 

[Vaibhav]

Thanks Kevin!

C# supports use of unmanaged code, such as C code, with pointer support. C#
supports operator overloading, although I've heard that VB.Net 2005 supports
this. I haven't had a chance to check it out for myself. C# supports
anonymous methods.

Other than those few items, they are functionally the same. I find the
unmanaged code aspect to be useful to me, but I have often run into
situations in which I need it. Again, most developers do not. It is useful
particularly if you work with graphics a lot.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
.Net Developer
You can lead a fish to a bicycle,
but you can't make it stink.

 

[Steve C. Orr [MVP, MCSD]]

Am I being religious? I use both languages regularly, and although I prefer
VB.NET for most things, C# has its merits too and I don't hate working with
it. (version 2 is a very nice improvement too)

There are not enough people defending VB.NET and its benefits however, and
so if I have a crusade, I guess that is it.

--
I hope this helps,
Steve C. Orr, MCSD, MVP
http://SteveOrr.net

 

[Steve C. Orr [MVP, MCSD]]

Don't forget that VB.NET has features that C# doesn't have.

Here are just a few:
* dozens of extra functions
* dozens of extra code snippets
* late binding ability
* a more descriptive syntax
* The largest user base of any language in the world (if you include VB
classic)

 

[Paul Bush]

For one thing, your earning potential doubles instantly!

This doesn't even scratch the surface of reality.

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Well, Steve, I just don't believe that facts need defending. They are what
they are. And I believe that technology stands or falls on its own merits.
VB.Net is here to stay. That says enough for me.

I have spoken when people have stated false things about VB.Net (even though
I almost never use it). I suppose you might call that "defending it."
However, I prefer to think of it as "defending the truth." The VB.Net
syntax, for example, has been denigrated as being too "user friendly."
However, I point out that eventually we will talk to computers and give them
instructions in the same language we use to talk to people. So, it might be
argued that the syntax is "ahead of its time." Not surprising, coming from
Bill Gates, who is perennially ahead of his time. ;-)

Again, I use C# because I need some of the things it does that VB.Net does
not. And I have personally availed myself of the Microsoft.VisualBasic
NameSpace from time to time! Why reinvent the wheel, when what you really
want is to build a car as quickly as possible?

--

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
You can lead a fish to a bicycle,
but you can't make it stink.

 

[Mark Rae]

This doesn't even scratch the surface of reality.

Well it did for me...

 

[Damien]

There is a much bigger issue with the VB.NET vs C# war - and that is with
finding answers to problems -or- learning how to do something. On the
newsgroups and many websites - there are FAR more examples in C#, than
VB.NET - I suspect because VB.NET developers are typically not the types to
go into deeper subject matter. They are the "crank out a working
application" type of developers.

Or maybe, we can work out the answers more frequently by ourselves

For example, I was working on making my own validator (inheriting from
BaseValidator) - and I found next to no examples in VB - everything was in
C#. And likewise, *all* of the VB.NET developers I know - would've just
"done it another way", rather than create their own validator (which now
works great, by the way!)

Well, I've created validators. I've created HttpModules and
HttpHandlers. Yes, a lot of code samples are in C#. But it's not like
translating is difficult. Step one, copy. Step two, paste. Step three,
hit compile. Start fixing the errors. Snot difficult. (In fact, this is
the way I've taught myself some languages - with the compilers errors
and the online help).
[snip]

It will make you a more valuable developer to be solid in both languages.

Indeed. The framework itself is the largest part of learning either of
these languages coming from an older language. And the framework is
common between them. I use C# in the following circumstances: 1) When I
want to do unsafe code, 2) When I want to knock
off^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hreuse a large amount of code from elsewhere, or 3)
When I think I might be getting a bit rusty in C#.

I think in large part it depends on your own background, what the
standards are for the company you work in, and how much either of the
two languages "speaks to you". I've heard about as many people claim
that they find the syntax for VB is easier than C# as I have heard it
stated the other way around.

Damien

 

[chuckdfoster]

Actually, I'm not migrating anything. I just wanted some opinions and
wondered if I should switch from VB.NET to C#.

 

[RCS]

At the very least - you should be fluent enough to translate in both
directions. Which language you ultimately chose, is upto you (and sometimes
your employer). But I vote for C#