Is it feasible to learn WPF

[CodedFire]

Hi Guys,

I've bought myself a full copy of VS2008 Professional and thought id have a route around the application properly. While playing with WPF applications i noticed that there is a lot more flexibility with controls and there layouts. I purchased an ebook on the subject and am ploughing through it. The issue i have is i know how to use plain window forms quite well. WPF views programming from an entirely new perspective. This means i have to relearn a lot of what i already know. The "new" way makes a lot of sense and i dont have the hinderince of having many applications under my belt that i need to convert to WPF.

The issue im having is ive been refining my learning concepts to ones that will help me eventually get a programming job or develop applications that i can sell off. Do you guys think that WPF will be adopted by the masses or is it something that will fade of into the distance in flavour of the current style of windows programming. If this is the case i would rather spend my time learning about more relevantly needed features.

So what do you guys think?

[jmcilhinney]

I don't think WPF will fade away but if your focus is employability then WPF should not be a priority. From my own recent job hunting experience, I'd suggest that you get to grips with ASP.NET if you haven't already. That's probably worth more than half the .NET application development in my neck of the woods at least. I had no real ASP.NET experience and it was a real hindrance. I convinced my current employer that I knew enough and could learn what I didn't quickly. That was and is true, but it is a quite different paradigm so to switch is not trivial.

[CodedFire]

I have a small bit. but nothing i could sing to the rafters about. I took the time last night to look through employment websites, it seems that there are actually very few places looking for application developers it all seems to be web development in one form or another. I suppose from a business perspective it makes sense to have web based applications theses days. One strange thing i did notices was c# developers seem to get paid a small percentage more.

I've got some great learning material on c# that doesn't have a whiff of winforms or WPF so i think il crack on with that for a bit and then get into asp.net.

[wey97]

WCF has been mentioned a great deal in my interviews. WPF none at all.

If you have any experience with Web Services and .Net Remoting, WCF is not hard at all.

[CodedFire]

Im currently look up WCF. There is alot in all of this. Thanks for the response guys.

[RobDog888]

I don't think WPF will fade away but if your focus is employability then WPF should not be a priority. From my own recent job hunting experience, I'd suggest that you get to grips with ASP.NET if you haven't already. That's probably worth more than half the .NET application development in my neck of the woods at least. I had no real ASP.NET experience and it was a real hindrance. I convinced my current employer that I knew enough and could learn what I didn't quickly. That was and is true, but it is a quite different paradigm so to switch is not trivial.

Yea I agree that ASP.NET is the hopt technology right now.

[CodedFire]

I suppose it makes sense though from a business point of view, large systems held in one area accessed remotely.

[RobDog888]

Yea and updates are all centrally managed. Although you can do the same thing with a server running terminal server services and RDC. IMO its just a hot technology right now like how C# is.

[CodedFire]

At the end of the day though every technology is a "hot" one. Im trying to decide if windows apps are dead in the water now though.

[RobDog888]

I dont think so as Vista opened the door to new rich featured apps which cant be done with a browser. There will always be some degree of Winforms apps but it just depends on what you want to focus on as a career keeping in mind job opportunities.

[CodedFire]

Yeah i see that. Hmmm its a lot to take in alright. Im gonna have to mull over all of this for a bit. What are you focusing on guys?

[RobDog888]

Making $$$$

As much as I hate web development I am starting to look at doing more ASP.NET just to be more marketable.

[CodedFire]

I suppose the best mantra to follow is i like the technology that makes me the most money so!

[RobDog888]

But dont not learn something just because its not hot either. A good programmer will have a plethera of technologies in their toolbox of skills.

[mendhak]

Yea I agree that ASP.NET is the hopt technology right now.

I knew you'd come around some day!!!

Indeed, ASP.NET is popular because it's the easiest to deploy - the client just needs a browser. And I don't think it's a fad, it's here to stay, because of the increasingly pervasive nature of the web. By creating an IDE that allows for rapid creation of web applications, they're trying to make ASP.NET the leading server side technology to use. After PHP of course, it'll probably always remain the most popular due to it being free.

What you choose to learn depends on what your career goal is. Not all software companies will use ASP.NET and not all will use windows forms. Choose what you like.

[RobDog888]

No Im not coming around but rather just learning a new technology to add to my skills. Thats all

... hopt ...

Hopt: The act or state of jumping on the bandwagon of whats hot or optional in the job market in order to make more money. In no way does "hopt" endorse the technology as being better then another. Derived from the Bolivian concatenations of "Hot", "Hop" and "Optional".

Usage:
mendhak has hopt the ASP.NET technology trend.