C#

[Bigbacon]

So, I'm sure to most this will sound quite sad but...

I have finally made the decision to remove myself from VB and use C#.

I have used C# on and off in little bits over the last 7 years I've been working but I was 99.999% VB (in .NET) only..

I have to say....I understand why it is 'better' and more widely used/accepted than VB. So much to unlearn (well bad habits anyway)

Some learning curve but at least I've been able to get stuff done on this new project without wasting lots of time trying to figure stuff out.

Now....to figure out MVC and I'd be a happy man.

thought I'd share this for some reason.

Bad part is....no one else on my team will ever understand the code if I leave since none of them use C# and never have. They are all classic ASP and moved into .Net using VB. Thats how I started anyway but I've always tried to keep other things at least semi fresh and/or at least knowing how to understand and use them in some way.

 

[PTNL]

Now....to figure out MVC and I'd be a happy man.

Lots of good resources are out there on ASP.NET MVC. It's got a learning curve and some interesting plumbing mechanics, but is absolutely worth learning.

Bad part is....no one else on my team will ever understand the code if I leave since none of them use C# and never have. They are all classic ASP and moved into .Net using VB. Thats how I started anyway but I've always tried to keep other things at least semi fresh and/or at least knowing how to understand and use them in some way.

You can direct them to the online C#/VB .NET converter by Telerik. Though I would expect any decent developer in VB.NET to not have an issue picking up the syntactic differences in C# (and vice-versa).


Good luck with the shift!

 

[FnordMan]

Though I would expect any decent developer in VB.NET to not have an issue picking up the syntactic differences in C# (and vice-versa).

Yeah, basically this. If they're at all familiar with C++, Java or any of the other curly braces and semicolon languages then they'll pick up on C# easy.
There's not a whole lot of differences between VB.net and C# other than superficial ones.
The only part that gets me when switching back and forth are the semicolons.

 

[cyclone3d]

Bad part is....no one else on my team will ever understand the code if I leave since none of them use C# and never have. They are all classic ASP and moved into .Net using VB. Thats how I started anyway but I've always tried to keep other things at least semi fresh and/or at least knowing how to understand and use them in some way.

And that is why you need to write well documented code.

 

[Bigbacon]

And that is why you need to write well documented code.

Oh don;t get me wrong, I comment and document but they'd look at the C# and just be lost.

Still catch myself writing Dim a lot .

On MVC, I understand what it is about, I get the basics of it, but once I try to move away from simple little views I get lost. Things I know I can do in a web form, I just can't translate into MVC and there are no good tutorials or projects that I can find that are more than just the basics. I need in a between basic and complex one. Sadly, I learn best by being able to see it in action more so than just looking at words on a page or whatever.

 

[Eiolon]

Not a chance in hell we'd get away with just changing languages like that. If there was a brand new project, we may be able to do it if we can verify everyone is capable of coding in it. Everything is way too mission critical to have to rely on a single person holding all the keys. It's a good way for job security, I guess.

 

[Wiseguy2001]

MVC does have quite a learning curve attached to it, but it doesn't take that long before you never want to touch ASP.Net ever again!!!

I used Apress Pro MVC 2 or 3 to get me started, quite a good book (I'm sure the newer ones are good too). It has a nice case study and goes into some decent depth about how the view engines and controllers really tick. Pluralsight is good too, but I prefer a book if I really want to get my head around something.

PS: If someone truly cannot switch between VB.net a C# then they're in the wrong job!

 

[wonderfield]

Oh don;t get me wrong, I comment and document but they'd look at the C# and just be lost.

Considering the nature of C#, its likeness to C++ and Java, and the fact that, unless you go through fairly significant contortions, it tends to be relatively self-documenting, I'd argue that there are some problematic members on your team.

I generally disagree with people who say that languages are different mostly in syntactic ways, as I think that doesn't adequately convey the complexities involved in learning new languages (and all their eccentricities, best practices and so forth), but someone who would, coming from VB, be "lost" looking at well-written, adequately-documented C#...yeah, I don't know.

Not much you can do about it, of course, but I don't think what you're doing by switching gears is a poor decision by any means. If your organization is comfortable with it, anyway.

 

[aL Mac]

Good for you.

I never liked VB, too verbose and difficult to read.

 

[Bigbacon]

If your organization is comfortable with it, anyway.

if you mean organization as in where I work, then yea, they don't care..

I work in team of 4 which is a subset of the rest of the financial IT staff who all work in green screen cobal or RGP on the IS400s...

out of my team, I am the only one who attempts to keep moving forward and I am by no means an excellent programmer. I would say mediocre at best. My boss is an old school programmer who at least tries to keep up but only through what I end up doing (which is both good and bad), and it becomes quite comical at times seeing what he does.
One guy isn't even a programmer and the other programmer is one of those guys who is difficult for the sake of being difficult, doesn't try to move on, and does stuff that even when told not to, does it anyway. If I had to manage him I would fired him long ago.

It is a weird environment...I am analyst, programmer, support, entire life-cycle all in one...The best way to learn bad habits and not a good way to learn in general but love the job and money is great and I get to spend time just screwing around with new stuff and no one gives two crap as long as work gets done.

/rant.

I think so far with C# I do enjoy that is explicitly wants you to define things correctly, no more cheating it like VB that just will assume stuff for you and be happy with it.

 

[PTNL]

I think so far with C# I do enjoy that is explicitly wants you to define things correctly, no more cheating it like VB that just will assume stuff for you and be happy with it.

Definitely... Overriding the default behavior of Option Explicit and Option Strict in VB.Net is a very bad thing.

 

[pedant]

Perhaps time to move on to anoher job, in order to expand your skills?

 

[mikeblas]

So, I'm sure to most this will sound quite sad but...

What's sad about it?

 

[Shurane]

Ah yes, C#, the darling child of Windows and .NET.

Don't forget to give http://www.jetbrains.com/resharper/ a try.