help choosing: .NET vs Java

You won't be labelled as a web developper if you use .Net any more than if you use Java. Probably less so since Java has always been falsely perceived as a "web language" even tough it isn't specifically.

I'd say that they are pretty much competitors right now, and your choice should be much more a matter of preference than anything else.

The real advantage of Java right now is that it runs on a huge variety of platforms, while .Net isn't there quite yet.

If you asked me, after working with both .Net and Java for a few months, I'd say go with .Net, but answers will vary highly. Toy with them both and pick what you prefer. That or find a job and pick the one they force down your throat. [grin]

I have been pondering the same question. Personally, I like the .NET languages more than Java. Unfortunatly for me, .NET has about half the jobs offered as Java. (source: monster.com)


EDIT: My opinion is go with whichever you like more. However, you should ultimatly learn both. If the need arose to find another job, you will be more likely to find a new on quickly.

I far prefer .Net. The library is very clean and the language seems well-designed. Far fewer people have a .Net framework installed than Java, though. While that isn't your issue at a job, it is for an indie.

Mono works very well. Not everything is implemented, but if you stick to what they have done you have very nice cross-platform development.

Definately .NET. It is the future that Java promised but didn't deliver on. We do all of our RAD development in C# and it's a charm. The real bonus is the full support of a professional development environment. Anyone who has tried to use NetBeans on a slow machine knows what I mean.

As far as jobs available I think more will be opening up in the .NET world. If you go with that you can get a head start on the trend and the competition.

-mike

Does .net work in Linux as good as Java does?

Quote:

Original post by Lode Does .net work in Linux as good as Java does?

Are you asking about performance of .NET in win32 compared to the one given in Linux, or asking if theres .NET for Linux???
If its the last one
Click Me # 1
Click Me # 2
If first one, then sorry

Quote:

Original post by Mike Bossy Definately .NET. It is the future that Java promised but didn't deliver on.

I agree

As long as you don't use the libraries Mono doesn't support, such as Windows.Forms and Managed DirectX, it works great on Linux.

Windows.Forms is really nice, but they're working on getting support. You can turn on beta support for Windows.Forms if you want, but it isn't ready for full use with all apps. For a GUI, you can either use GTK#, use the working subset of Windows.Forms, or wait for full Windows.Forms support.

For games, again, you can either use Tao.OpenGL and SdlDotNet (a very nice OOP wrapper for SDL) or wait for Managed DirectX support, although that probably won't happen for a while.

I'm developing on Linux using C#. I like it so much more than C++.