Need to write a messaging\alert app which language should I use\learn C# or VB.Net?

[Apathetic]

I do think C# is a better language to learn (mostly because of the C/C++ resemblance). But obviously the more known languages the better ...

I think VB.NET improved leaps and bonds with VS2008 and VS2010, but I remember VB.NET in VS2003 (.NET 1.1) and it was not pretty. VB was so much more verbose at the time (and let's face it, it still is). But since there is feature parity and it compiles exactly the same pseudo-code, it is a cosmetic preference at most.

Note : I would certainly not rewrite a 1.2M loc program just to make it C# (maybe that's what awaits us in hell ? )

No, hell is when you have to take a million+ lines of C# code and re-write them in VB6.

Dave

 

[Cogman]

No, hell is when you have to take a million+ lines of C# code and re-write them in VB6.

Dave

Could be worse, you could be rewriting it in delphi!

 

[atreader]

OP: maybe you can use the alert system as an excuse to install a Instant Messaging system. I believe there are free open source IM (server/clients) available.

Don't forget the ever useful semi-colons.

Google's 'GO' language does that behind the scenes. You don't have to type ';' at the end of statements manually.

 

[Bulldog13]

One way you might consider going with this is using a MessageQueue server with the MessageQueue class. Any Windows machine NT or greater can be setup as a MessageQueue server.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.messaging.messagequeue%28VS.71).aspx

As far as VB.Net or C#, it doesn't matter. I feel like it is generally easier to find code snippets in C# than VB.

I think alot of it comes down to what you find it more irritating having your code littered with "Dim"s and "_"s or "{"s and ";". The only truly irritating thing I find about C# is it does not automatically insert the closing "}".

In the history of programming, has there ever been a starting squiggly bracket that did not need an ending one?

 

[tatteredpotato]

The only truly irritating thing I find about C# is it does not automatically insert the closing "}".

That's a gripe you should have with Visual Studio, since that's a text editor feature and not a language one (athough I guess many people have been arguing that IntelliSense is better with VB so language and IDE support have become synonymous in this thread).

I do think you can configure it to automatically add the '}' though.

 

[Cogman]

That's a gripe you should have with Visual Studio, since that's a text editor feature and not a language one (athough I guess many people have been arguing that IntelliSense is better with VB so language and IDE support have become synonymous in this thread).

I do think you can configure it to automatically add the '}' though.

Non auto { can be annoying, However, what is more annoying is automatic (.. Code blocks does this and it is annoying as heck, sometimes you want to put the parentheses where you want them.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Non auto { can be annoying, However, what is more annoying is automatic (.. Code blocks does this and it is annoying as heck, sometimes you want to put the parentheses where you want them.

When I first started using netbeans, the auto "{" really threw me off since I've been so accustomed to VS that I would always manually type it and then I'd end up doubling up on the closed brackets.

 

[atreader]

^ I'm using NetBeans now for javascript coding. I like its javascript editor better than what comes with eclipse. One problem annoys me is that it hangs (Not Responding) sometimes after you make a change to a file. I haven't updated to the latest version as I read in the comments people complaining about it being very slow.

I liked the intellisense in VB6 and VB.net. And you sure miss it when coding c#. The good thing about C# is that its similar to java so at any stage if one decides to migrate to Java platform then the conversion should be easier. I think most of large size projects prefer C# over VB.net.

@Bulldog13 I think the Messaging Server capabilities are not there in the Home (at least in XP) edition of Windows. I might be wrong though.

 

[Kr@n]

Could be worse, you could be rewriting it in delphi!

Gah ! Delphi's not so bad (in fact, the creator of Pascal is one of the main creators of C# IIRC). You can even code with brackets instead of begin..end ...