VB or C#? I have to convince another programmer.

[birthjay]

Hello,

We are about to rewrite a 40,000 line VB6 application. Should we use VB.NET or C#?....AND WHY?

Thanks!

[jcis]

I would recommend C#. Some reasons: Power and reusability, Standards, C# programmers earn more..
Check out this thread..
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=379274

[mendhak]

I would reccommend VB.NET. The conversion will be easier and simpler for you guys, and since it was written in VB6 anyways, it would be logical to continue development in the VB6-related language: VB.NET.

[DeadEyes]

In theory some could do VB and others c# but in reality why bother. Your choice should probable be based on peoples experience. If most developers are familiar with curly bracket type languages then go c#. If they are only used to VB then stick with that. As developers they should be able to pick up any language relatively quickly.

[mendhak]

It's odd now, we can actually look at them as the 'curly bracket' language and the 'lots-of-words' language. That's one outcome of the ease of portability

[penagate]

Neither of them are really related to VB6, and C# has the advantages mentioned by jcis above, so I'd reccommend it. But there's hardly a difference either way.

[MasterBlaster]

Use the bus theory. "If someone gets hit by a bus it will be eaiser to replace a C# coder than a VB.net coder.

[RobDog888]

Go with C#

http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=385830
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=379274
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=367985
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=362563

[jmcilhinney]

Either will do the job. If the app is currently written in VB6 then I doubt that it requires anything that C# would do better than VB.NET. I think that the first consideration should be what experience the people doing the conversion have. If some already have experience with one language then that should probably be the one you choose. If noone has experience with either then the next consideration should probably be that it is probably going to be easier to port from VB6 to VB.NET than to C#, if only because the syntaxes are more similar. That's not to say that it's not a stepp learnign curve to go from VB6 to VB.NET because the differences are marked. Sometimes VB6 experience can actually hinder your uptake of VB.NET because you can tend to fight the language to make it work like VB6 instead of changing your ways to work like VB.NET. The other consideration should be what you think the choice will mean long term, both for this app and for the developers. All else being equal, C# is probably a better choice for the developers, although obviously not if they specifically need VB.NET for some other projects.

[Slaine]

VB.NET is closer to C# than VB6 so I doubt it would make much difference.

If it was my decision, and it meant retraining/refreshing was required I would go with which ever skillset I thought would get me the most money in the market place when I moved on

[Hack]

If it was my decision, and it meant retraining/refreshing was required I would go with which ever skillset I thought would get me the most money in the market place when I moved on

This is the most relevant reason right here.

[~teh_pwn3rz~]

C# is better in almost every respect. I was hired as a VB.net programmer but I was able to argue that C# was more suitable for commercial applications and now 100% of my code is C#.

The reasons are almost endless, VB.net is always playing catch-up to C# in every new release anyway. Personally I find it easier to write C# because manual refactoring of the code is often a lot easier and there are many more low-level (well, low-ish) features such as pointers, fixed() and stackalloc[]. Plus things like strings are more advanced and the endless concatenation of constants to strings is greatly reduced.

C# is also between 1% and 3% faster across the board than VB.net, (this can be verified by benchmarking, have a go ).

Don't listen to all that crap about re-training either, a VB6 programmer WILL find it easier to re-train into C# than into VB.Net. VB.Net is too close (syntax wise) to VB6 and it tricks you into making loads of stupid mistakes. C# on the other hand feels completely different and you'll make the transition much faster.

If you go from VB6 to VB.net you WILL forget most of what you know about VB6 and you will find it incredibly hard to go back to VB6 (when you need to maintain old code). C# will let you retain your old Vb6 knowledge.

Mendhak, recommending Vb.net? For shame.

[Hack]

.... a VB6 programmer WILL find it easier to re-train into C# than into VB.Net. VB.Net is too close (syntax wise) to VB6 and it tricks you into making loads of stupid mistakes. C# on the other hand feels completely different and you'll make the transition much faster.

If you go from VB6 to VB.net you WILL forget most of what you know about VB6 and you will find it incredibly hard to go back to VB6 (when you need to maintain old code). C# will let you retain your old Vb6 knowledge.

These are two outstanding points neither of which I'd considered.

[mendhak]

Both of which are not entirely true. The validity of both of the points depends upon the programmer's own competency.

[jmcilhinney]

I think that a feature should be added to this forum where every sentence has "I think that " added to the beginning of it by default. You're all stating your opinion as though it was fact. Now if you'd all just accept my opinion as fact then we'd have no problem... except for all the stuff breaking all over the place of course.

[mendhak]

Didn't you learn in Physics class (Grade 11) that whatever Mendhak states is divine truth?

(And that the universe revolves around mendhak, but that is merely conjencture at this point in time.)

[~teh_pwn3rz~]

We don't have grades in the UK, we just have to repeat the first year until we are old enough to vote.

In response to jmcihlihiiihlhinney (sp? ) I do actually know what I'm on about, having been on all 3 sides of this pseudo-philosophical meta-fence. I speak the truth yound paduan.