whats the difference...

thewizard

...between VB.Net and C#.Net

h4nym

Plenty! Forget the .Net element - that effectively just says that they both use the .Net runtime library when they come to run.

VB is a much simpler language to learn - it's much more human and doesn't need loads of curly brackets in the right place etc.

C# is more difficult to learn and, equally importantly, to read when you're trying to understand the code for debugging.

C# is, however, more powerful in that there's a lot you can do at a low level, whereas if you want to do the thing in VB you'll have to rely much more on interfaces already defined in Windows. For example, with C# you can access and manipulate data in memory directly, whereas with VB you simply cant - you have to rely on Windows to manage that whole piece for you.

Essentially, if you're starting out, then VB is far and away the most appropriate tool. When you're applications are very sophisticated / powerful / graphics intensive, then you can consider moving off to C# for the extra functionality. The key difference at runtime is speed - code written in C# is quicker to execute, but this is easily masked by throwing more hardware at it - a faster CPU, quicker/more RAM etc.

Alternatively - here's my real-world advice - and I head up an IT company with a significant revenue from our own software. Every single application we write starts life in VB - even if only to prototype. Only when absolutely necessary do we shuffle it off to C#

C# takes 3 times longer to write than VB, and runs about 20% quicker... you do the maths!

hth

Hany

thewizard

Thanks, I have been taught VB6 in school and was wondering which was the best way to go next.
Heres another question.
Are people who program C# higher paid?

Astaroth

I wouldnt say they are paid any higher... the amount of skilled programmers in both VB and C# is approximately equal so there is no supply and demand forces causing one to get significantly higher salaries than the other.