My foray into C# - Part III

Something I forgot to mention that was very cool about all this was the fact that I developed everything under Linux and the binaries run ASIS, under windows. That, to me, speaks volumes. It’s a credit to the guys on the mono project.

I also feel compelled to answer some of the suggestions that I’m biased. Me? Never! Nor am I opinionated, loud, prone to ranting….hehehehe

I too found the process to be very smooth and very easy. In no way did I try and suggest otherwise. At the end of both blogs I clearly stated how easy it was.

I was really trying to give an accurate account of what it was like to start from knowing nothing, along with all the annoyances and frustrations that comes with it. Some comparisons may not be valid from the perspective of a born and bred C#/Microsoft developer but you have to remember that it’s only natural to make comparisons. That’s how we learn. We try and compare it with something we already know to give it some context, some meaning.

I hear from a mate that C# version 2 will have generics and Iterators and a few things other things.

Regarding string versus String, you can’t (at least using mono) use any of the System classes without “using” the System namespace. This was the thing that seemed ridiculous to me. Unfortunately String (big S) lives in the System namespace. I only found this out after I had converted lots of code so I kept on with the string (little s) convention. This was how I had seen examples written up on the ’net that I was using as a guide.

As for performance, again, in no way did I try and make out that .Net was necessarily slower. All I reported was what I had found running under mono on gentoo linux. As stated in the blog, hardly a reasonable comparison hehehe.

The only thing I really can’t get used to are the libraries. I really do find them awkward. I used to be a C++ developer before I moved to Java and I really don’t see the C# libraries as a step forwards. Oh and unchecked exceptions.

In no way do I despise C#. Okay so the quip about compsci students may have been a little harsh… I got over all the extra keywords, maybe you can forgive me in return hehehe. C# and .Net may not be my cup of tea but they no longer appear too different and too scary to at least try out.

Thank-you linesmen. Thank-you ball boys. It’s back to watching the Australian Open…