should i learn c#?

[persianboy]

hi,

i started programming in vb.net 2-3 months ago ( didnt have any experiance in programming before ) which makes me a beginner, i wanted to ask is it worth spending time to learn c#? or should i just spend the same time to learn more in vb.net. plz give me several reasons if you think i should learn c#? i guess most of you can program in both, so i think its easy to answer the Q

as far as i know you do everything you do in c in vb!

thanks...

[dynamic_sysop]

learn C#, i've read a few articles on microsoft sites / external sites and it seems to be the way to go. i also read that the majority of vs is built in C# and that unmanaged stuff will fade out.
plenty of people will be around to advise you on C# questions , so you may as well jump straight in.

[wossname]

I reckon you are in a good position. I learned VB when Version 4 was current (1998-9), then quickly became good with V6. Now .Net is out I'm having to unlearn all my old VB habits.

Anyway, if you can hack it in the C# world, you should give C++ a look. C# and C++ are very similar in syntax (as far as I can tell) and (CornedBee will like me for this) you aren't always constrained by the .Net framework in VC++. You can write traditional C++ (FAST!!!) apps in VC++ and if you're feeling in a weird mood, you can write Managed (.Net) apps with it too.

Its a better language than C# for several key reasons, but being able to exist in the low-level and .Net worlds SIMULTANEOUSLY(!) is a big advantage. Especially when writing speed critical apps that must also interface with other .Net applications.

I'm trying to establish myself as the only managed C++ programmer on this forum. (I haven't seen a single other one yet!). It's a niche I guess Corned Bee hates me for it

Anyway in summary - VB is tepid, C# is cool, C++ is ice cold.
Bring back VB6

[Edneeis]

No don't learn C# its the dark side!

Actually if you don't already have a VB background then I'd say learn C#. C# programmers make more money generally. If I had to start job shopping now I'd probably switch, but I like the VB.NET syntax better and as long as someone will pay me to write in it then I will.

[Kasracer]

Originally posted by wossname
Anyway, if you can hack it in the C# world, you should give C++ a look. C# and C++ are very similar in syntax (as far as I can tell) and (CornedBee will like me for this) you aren't always constrained by the .Net framework in VC++. You can write traditional C++ (FAST!!!) apps in VC++ and if you're feeling in a weird mood, you can write Managed (.Net) apps with it too.

You do realize that C# is standardized and the framework isn't, therefore you can write applications in C# that will compile down similarly to C++.

However, I don't think there is much of any support for it.

Managed C++ really really sucks though. You do lose some of C++'s features, since it all gets turned into IL (or whatever it's called, I forgot). However, there are a vast amount of libraries for C++ that can easily take the place(s) of .NET functions.

Originally posted by wossname
I'm trying to establish myself as the only managed C++ programmer on this forum. (I haven't seen a single other one yet!). It's a niche I guess Corned Bee hates me for it

Why!?!?

[nemaroller]

It's a preference. C# syntax will move you closer to the Java way of thinking, so that's a big plus.

As far as pay, some places are offering more money for C# jobs, but in reality, I would speculate most of those are senior level positions anyway.

For me, I like C#, and I like VB... and at work I have at times mixed the two within the same solutions. Really, i don't feel any more special coding in one than the other.

[WALDO]

I say, learn it. I have found the best way to learn C#, at least for me, was to learn how to do everything in VB.NET, then figure out how to do the EXACT same thing in C#. I gotta tell ya, it wasn't all that different. Most of the syntax is the same, just different keywords.

Both VB.NET and C# will break you of some old VB6 habits. I've found places where I've liked using C# more than VB.Net. For example, I like the inline XML Comments in C# that aren't a part of VB.NET. But I don't like how strict it is with capitalization (Java mindset). I like that VB.NET is a lot more forgiving in that area. I also don't like that C# is a little LESS intelligent when it comes to formatting your code as you type. (tabs and such)

I think if you learn both, you will become a hundred times more marketable as a programmer. From my own personal experience, I've seen employers/contracts want specifically VB.NET developers because their in-house staff is moving from VB6 and they don't want that much of a learning curve. Conversely, I've seen people want C# developers because they want programmers that are used to the very strict practices of the C/Java languages.

If you learn both, you will have the advantage. I actually kind of learned C# by accident. At first, I had absolutely no interest in C#. I was building a project for myself and just about every sample piece of code that I found when I was researching was written in C#. For what I was doing, it was near impossible for me to find a comprehensive code sample written in VB.NET just because no one had written it in VB.NET. So I would take the pieces of C# and bit by bit, I would translate it into VB.NET. By the end of the project, I knew alomost all of C#.