Discussion of what to recommend to newbies

[Tuberload]

"by professionals for everyone"

Dammit, how about we all just get together and make "The Bot Making Kit"? We can make it just like VB, but you don't have to write code, AND it has the paperclip to help you out.

I have actually been thinking of doing this, but then again do we really want to ruin Java on these forums as well.

As for the language for newbies I also vote for Java, or Python (only based of what I have read about it, not experience) or C# if it is a must.

[Banana fanna fo fanna]

www.jython.org

That's how I moved from Java to Python.

[Kp]

3)  C# promotes good computer science from the ground up.

4)  C# addresses weaknesses in VB, Java, C, C++, while allowing newbs to write programs as easily as they would have written one in Visual Basic, just starting out.

Arguments against:  .NET while claiming to be platform independent, is only so on Windows  But only because the CLR hasn't been implemented anywhere else (yet).

Never having actually seen anything about coding in C#, I'm curious what it does to deserve those two points in its favor.  What practices is it promoting that others don't?  Or did you only mean that it doesn't promote bad practices?  I've heard that C#, like VB, is supposed to be good for RAD - what other things does it address in the earlier languages that you think are "weaknesses"?  Though this is in response to Grok, I'd welcome commentary from anyone.  This may be better split off as a separate thread though.

[Tuberload]

3)  C# promotes good computer science from the ground up.

4)  C# addresses weaknesses in VB, Java, C, C++, while allowing newbs to write programs as easily as they would have written one in Visual Basic, just starting out.

Arguments against:  .NET while claiming to be platform independent, is only so on Windows  But only because the CLR hasn't been implemented anywhere else (yet).

Never having actually seen anything about coding in C#, I'm curious what it does to deserve those two points in its favor.  What practices is it promoting that others don't?  Or did you only mean that it doesn't promote bad practices?  I've heard that C#, like VB, is supposed to be good for RAD - what other things does it address in the earlier languages that you think are "weaknesses"?  Though this is in response to Grok, I'd welcome commentary from anyone.  This may be better split off as a separate thread though.

I had the same questions as you Kp, but didn't post due to my complete lack of knowledge of C# other than it is a Java variant in my eyes. I would like to hear its benefits over Java though, so I can determine whether I want to give it a go or not. Ever since my Visual Basic days, I have shied away from using Microsoft development platforms. I just personally don't understand the need of having multiple languages that all runs off the same framework, but this is once again an opinion not based off of fact.

What I would really like to know is it really worth learning the .NET suite, or is sticking with Java and GNU C/C++ compilers sufficient? I do not mean that other languages are not worthy tools to use, but Java and C/C++ seems to have the largest job market, not counting other web development languages.

[Banana fanna fo fanna]

I've actually found the .NET class library rather lacking for some of the stuff I do.