Thread: .NET woes

Am I to understand now that MS is forcing us to use .NET to do mail, internet, messaging, etc, etc?

I look up MAPI, Internet sessions, database support, etc, etc, and it all leads to .NET.

It seems as though the entire Platform SDK besides .NET has been deprecated.
This is not a good thing IMO.

In order to use .NET I must use CLR which I'm trying to avoid.


EDIT: Ok I gave in to the big boys. Have a book coming in the mail all about .NET and CLI. Somehow I'm not quite as excited about this one as my other books. But, if I want my skills to be 'marketable', I have to stay up to date and unfortunately that means C++/CLI and .NET.

Welcome to the dark side of C++ Bubba.

Although the change shouldn't be too hard on you; I mean, you already use Direct X.

.../cry...


(So that this post isn't completely meaningless... I don't understand why people took to .NET so fast, half the people in my programming classes love it, and I can't see why.)

I've had some experience with .NET. It's extremely easy to use compared to C++ and the Win32 APIs. And it has the Visual editor so designing the look of your applications is easier.

However, i still prefer C++ over .NET

You'd have to physically force me to use .NET. I'm talking bamboo shoots under my fingernails while waving a red hot poker towards my eye.

Least after .NET I was able to stop continuosly explaining GDI leaks caused by SelectObject() (or by coders who dont RTFM).


EDIT:

It's the choice of a new generation.

You forget the Golden Rule...he who has the gold makes the rules.

We the older generation still use windows and pay / get paid to write code for it.

Good thing i don't want to... become "marketable".

What I will not take is an operating system that asks me a small fortune just for the "privilege" of coding on their system.

With every passing day, Linux becomes more and more a sexy operating system.

However the job boards are not asking for Linux.

The most popular stuff on job boards for C/C++ is:

.NET
CLI
SQL
MFC
COM
COM+
ODBC

and others.

It only makes sense to learn these technologies rather than try to fight what is obviously a losing battle.

For games and such and hobby code I'll use DirectX and my own wrappers, technologies, etc. But for the workplace, I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and learn what's needed, instead of what I like.

And I guess one way to defend C/C++ as a viable future language is to prove it can be used in cooperation with current and future technolgies. The problem here is that most of the jobs do not require C/C++ and I think it's because people are intimidated by it and that the dev time is significantly longer. I love the language and think it's the best thing since sliced bread, but not everyone in the world shares my opinion.

So I'm not turning my back on C/C++, I'm just expanding my horizons. Here are the facts. I can attempt to defend pure C/C++ and never get a job because my skill set is only C/C++ or I can expand my horizons, branch out, and learn current and/or new technolgies and perhaps land a job.

Need necessitates knowledge. And I need to get a computer job and stop spinning my wheels at 'good' non-computer jobs or I'm never gonna make the transition. I must expand my skill set. I may even attempt some Java, but know that C/C++ is and always will be my fav, even if I can't use it in the workplace.

You are right.

However, these particular boards don't seem to have Linux as a popular alternative. EDIT: Ignore this line... I thought you were referring to these boards.

I'm not a good example to follow anyways. I'm finally leaving my career to open a small bookstore. I finally have the time to learn C++ as I always wanted instead of having my past experience and job requirements constantly pushing me towards Visual Basic. I do get the chance to make choices. My days of slavery are almost over.

Originally Posted by Mario F

What I will not take is an operating system that asks me a small fortune just for the "privilege" of coding on their system.

Originally Posted by SMurf

...they all believe it'll solve all their systems issues at a cost to smile about.

I'm sorry...I'm missing the whole "cost" part of it. The compiler is free, and the runtime is free. If you want to pay for a flashy IDE, that's a choice. What exactly is this mythical "cost" you speak of? Personally, I use .Net for hobby programming, and I haven't had to spend a penny.

[edit] Holy crap, the new edit box is awesome.

>I'm sorry...I'm missing the whole "cost" part of it.
The documentation is free too. Presumably they're talking about the exorbitant cost of the OS itself. Though in a PC market where you essentially have Linux, which is free, and Windows, which is not, it's hard for the cost of Windows to not be exorbitant when compared to free.

You don't need to pay for a flashy IDE either... Visual Studio Express Edition will do.

However the cost I was talking about is indeed tied to the fact it only works under Windows. You will not see many libraries for C++/CLI free of charge, you will not see many IDE contenders for C++/CLI free of charge. You will not see many tools (profilers, code generators, documentation systems,...) for C++/CLI free of charge...

I hope I'm wrong. And Microsoft will provide C++/CLI and the CLR with a true non-commercial purpose (Ahah... sorry).

Oh... and say goodbye to portability.

Regardless, as I said before on another thread, I couldn't care any less what Microsoft does with the .Net Framework. It's the possibility that they may push C++/CLI as the replacement for ISO C++ programming that scares me.

As for Bubba, believing that the only option to be marketable in the job industry is to learn C++/CLI, seems to me rather naive.