VB.Net VS C#

Question

We have a team of developers and we've been using VB 6. Now we're trying to make a decision for the .Net platform. I'm the only one with any C ++ experience but it's been awhile since I used it. I personally prefer C++ and would like to move to C#. I could use a list of strong points that C# has over VB. Right now all I'm hearing is basically preference and flip a coin. Any help out there?

Administrator · Answer

I agree with you guys. Overall the differences are basically cosmetic. HOWEVER, now that I have programmed C# for over a year, I just can't imagine doing VB instead. The typical C syntax is just so much cleaner and easier to structure. Makes more sense!!

Administrator · Answer

In the old forums here were a long list of C# advantages.. maybe one admin could restore the message (if it still exists...) Here is some info about my previous post (C# compiler being better) http://www.iunknown.com/Weblog/CodegenerationCvs.VB.NET.html Some good things in C# - C# allows operator overloading - C# Doesn't allow late-binding (which is usually bad) - Visual Studio.Net is written in C#, so it must be better :)

Administrator · Answer

The more I dig into both languages, the more I prefer C#. Unfortunatly, it's totally confusing to some of our team and they just didn't feel that they could learn it nearly as quickly as the VB. As a minority vote, I needed some really compelling reasons why they needed to switch. I do appreciate all the help though.

Administrator · Answer

Being comfortable with VB doesn't mean comfortability with VB.NET... C# also allows usage of pointers that VB.NET does not. Some people have said that C# compiler is more efficient and makes better code than vbc.. I'm not sure about that.

Administrator · Answer

Thanks very much for your help. It really did help. We did wind up going with VB because the rest of the team is so comfortable with it but on a good note, I will be using C++ and C# for some of our development. Looks like I will be learning both .Net languages.

Administrator · Answer

I think the only diff between C# and VB.NET is in the document generation (I 'think' that's what a guy from MS told me). I.e. if you type '///' above a method or variable it goes into JavaDoc mode automatically and pre-populates some comments for you. Other than that, ANY .NET language should be indentical in terms of facilities. The only other differences really are cosmetic, in that VB.NET has that awful syntax whereas C# is just better (IMHO). You could always try the argument that VB to VB.NET is still a pretty big jump for some people, so why not go the whole hog and move to C#...which will make it easier for them to move to Java\C++ as well. Remember that VB.NET modules can work with C# modules, etc. Depending on how strict your organisation is, there's no reason why if you are working on a distinct component it can't be in the language of your choice. Finally, there are utilities for converting from one .NET language to another. If, at the end of the day, my clients demand VB...I add a couple of days to the schedule for porting...no way I'd ever choose to code in it. Good luck