Leaving VB6

[Mythrandil]

Well despite not feeling it im on the better side of a 24 hour solid stint off programming (yes no sleep ) Which i beleive is largely to do with the fact that when my lecturer said we didn't have to do our work in delphi like usual i jumped at the chance to program in vb6 my strongest language.

However 1 project later im infuriated with vb6 largely to do with its **** handling of UDT's, Array of Arrays, lack of inheritance (didnt actually know this till halfway thru recoding a c++ project in vb) and general niggles here and there. But hey maybe thats the lack of sleep talking.

Anyway as my move away from vb6 was always inevitable with M$ ceasing support i have decided to move.

I know there are numerous vb.net vs c# threads out there however i just wanted to ask some direct questions and opinions on my situation. (and have an oppotunity to vent lol)

- Firstly its the general consensus that vb.net is more user friendly and allows RAD, how is c# slower dev timewise?, i see you can create a gui easily in c# unlike c++ which is a big help for creating apps quickly!

- Its said somethings can't be done in vb.net but can in c#. Can someone give an example? Which brings about my next question, could you create a class library in c# and reference it easily in vb.net?

- My Situation is basicly im a student that picks up projects on the side through various contacts. Atm i code in vb6 which is great for RAD as i can;t spare the time to develop long projects. I want to maintain that ability to an extent which suggests vb.net however its also general consensus the $$$$ (£££ where i live :P) is in c#. I have a fairly limited knowledge in c++ but i know the syntax and OO methodologies and my degree will probably entail more c++ coding which would im sure c# would benefit.

- Basicly i want opinions of what you would do in my situation, vb.net or c#?
My biggest concern is probably difference in dev time of a vb.net app to c#,

im im pressed if you got to this point in the post and are still reading, sorry if i ramble i guess i needed to vent and get questions answered at the same time ;d

[RhinoBull]

... Basicly i want opinions of what you would do in my situation, vb.net or c#?...

Since .Net framework is language independent I find it amusing for MS to maintain two languages...
The "general consensus" as you say is really up to you which language to follow - if you're more familiar with C++ syntax then go with C# and VB's syntax makes you feel more confortable then go with VB.Net. With very little exceptions both are identical and both have access to entire framework.

[gigemboy]

Congrats on finally throwing out VB6 As Rhino had mentioned, it really just boils down to whether you are more comfortable verbose language like VB or a more l33t c0d3r looking syntax like C#. I chose VB. You can choose whichever one you enjoy most, or both. The good thing about it is you can compile a C# dll and use it in a VB project and vice versa without any extra coding needed, so you could mess around in both if you feel the want or need...

[sevenhalo]

IMO - if you have eny experience with Java, pascal or C(++)... Go C#. Even if vb6 is your strong language. Out of the two, C# does indeed offer more money and it will make you a better coder (meaning, you'll still retain the syntax formatting if you decide to mvoe to another camp later on... For whatever reason).

[penagate]

Development time-wise I'm more productive in C# than VB.NET. Less to type

[sevenhalo]

But more typo's. I've learned more cursewords then syntax fighting with case sensitivity.

[techgnome]

And we won't even discuss what happens when you miss a closing curly brace....

seriously, it's really come down to learning what you want... I'm sticking with VB.NET because I'm most comfortable in VB, and it's what I'm using at the office.

Use what's most comfortable for you.

-tg

[RobDog888]

Well it sounds like you do independant work so it may not matter which you use as the client usually doesnt see the code.

Going from VB6 to VB.NET itself is difficult to un-learn some bad programming habbits. So C# may be easier to learn for you but in my opinion its slower as you have to type in the correct case and a few minor things take a little longer to get used to as compared to vb.net. I am glad I went from VB6 to VB.NET as that worked best for me.

Spend a little time on each language of the same project to be able to see the differences for yourself.