[Gllug] OT(ish): Advice

[Xander D Harkness]

Matthew Thompson wrote:
> 
> On Tuesday, December 10, 2002, at 12:05  am, Richard Hillesley wrote
> 
>>> Much though you and others may find this dis-tasteful I am going to
>>> suggest Microsoft's .NET languages. Mostly VB.net and C#.net
>>>
>>
>> Not only do I find this distasteful, I think it is also bad advice.
> 
> 
> Just as I predicted.
> 
>> I could think of any number of reasons for justifying the counter 
>> argument,
>> but the best is that you are better looking for cross platform skills, 
>> and if
>> you want an interesting life as a developer the one thing you should 
>> know, is
>> that it ain't going to be interesting to be tied into the world of 
>> WIndows
> 
> 
> I'm actually quite pleased to be able to say that the .NET languages are 
> unlikely to be tied just to Windows.
> 
> What has impressed me the most is how far the mono [ 
> http://www.go-mono.com ] project has come. It's got a self compiling 
> compiler now and they are also having quite a bit of success with VB.net 
> and ASP.net - even going as far as using the GTK toolkit to provide the 
> graphical features needed to run applications on non-Microsoft platforms.
> 
> I've been looking at VB.net and C#.net for quite a while now and they 
> are much improved versions of their predecessors (VB and J# meets C 
> respectively)
> 
>> Learning C and C++ not only gives you much more skills that you can 
>> push on
>> any platform,  but the skills are close enough to Java and VB and C#, 
>> that
>> you can push the skills in those environment too, while learning the
>> principles. The biggest problem with VB and C#, is that the next 
>> version is
>> seldom compatible with the last. These are not serious long term 
>> development
>> languages.
> 
> 
> I agree that previous versions of VB were, in part, incompatible with 
> their predecessors but to a degree VB.net is a totally new language, 
> closer to how VB should have been from the start - and C# IS a totally 
> new language. Microsoft are "betting the ranch" on these technologies 
> and, as the Office suits have stabilised in file format and 
> inter-operability, I believe that Microsoft have reached a similar point 
> with their development environments now - you're unlikely to find huge 
> changes leading to incompatibilities anymore.
Many of these incompatibilities are deliberately introduced by 
Microsoft, I do not see them slowing down due to any slowing down of 
Microsoft development. (I fear to repeat your use of stabilised and 
Microsoft in the same sentence {having just done it here :-)})
> 
> I stick by my original suggestion that an understanding of .net is a 
> good way to go. Whilst it may not end up with the highest paying job or 
> a job on the world's most esoteric platform there are still a hell of a 
> lot of Windows systems out there and the number is growing.
> 
> As for my reason why - well I want a job, and the moral high ground is 
> not always compatible with quickly finding a job.
I feel that there are many more important things in life than money. 
Supporting a convicted monopolist with as low morals as the company 
seems to have is not for me.

Kind regards
Xander
> 
> M at t :o)
> 
> 


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