Re: Is VB.NET dead?

Hi Clinton,

Not to stir a contentious pot, but I do think there's more to it than "mere"
punctuation. There is common ancestry. While Java and C# have evolved, they
share common ancestry, which is the syntax of the C language. It is the
evolution that has muddied the waters, and while correct terminology is
important in communication, it is understanding that writes good software.

I sympathize, because I occasionally use incorrect terminology as well,
failing to express what I do know to the satisfaction of some, and sometimes
for good reason. After all, in a venue such as this, communication can be
cloudy enough, even when correct terminology is used. That is because there
are always 2 participants in a communication: The speaker, and the listener.
Listening is purely subjective, and human language often falls short of
being able to fully communicate some concepts with perfect accuracy, much as
integral expressions can only approximate real numbers. Subjective
experience, culture, and state of mind come into play in the listening
process. So, it is helpful to be as accurate as possible when speaking.
This, however, is never a guarantee that one will be understood by all
listeners.

Therefore, there is a certain responsibility on the part of the listener to
interpret correctly. After all, there is no guarantee that the speaker will
be perfectly correct in his/her terminology, or the skill required to
express the concept, or, in some cases, that the concept may be accurately
expressed with words. Of course, in the case of programming languages, the
latter is not the case. Programming is integral in nature, and programming
languages are exact.

On the other hand, as in this case, the concept may be a bit fuzzier than is
convenient. As I mentioned, the similarity between the syntax of C# and Java
is not one of "mere" punctuation. In many ways, it is exactly alike. In
other ways, it is completely different. But this is due to the separate
evolution of 2 programming languages having common ancestry. Therefore, it
is impossible to express the similarity of the languages in a simple
statement, or even a short paragraph. It might be convenient to say that
they are "similar," or even "much more similar than the syntax of VB and
Java," but that is not a very informative statement. On the other hand, to
say that they share "mere" punctuation is even more uninformative, as it
ignores the similarites, and the advantages that they provide.

My professional history has certain similarities to your own, in that I am
fully self-taught, having never received any formal education. So, I can
sympathize with your dilemma. I can write solid software with the best of
them, but my communication skills are somewhat lacking. Like you, I
continually try to improve them. But I do take some solace from the fact
that some strengths are correspondent with some weaknesses, and while I am
aware of my weaknesses, I am also grateful for my strengths. We too can
contribute to the community of mankind, and we are valuable.

On reflection, I am happy with my eccentricity. The center of the Bell Curve
would be a boring place for me.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP

DSI PrintManager, Miradyne Component Libraries:
http://www.miradyne.net

"clintonG" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uxwdc7s3HHA.1208@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<snip />
For weenies? no, I don't think it's for weenies. What are weenies btw?
People who think they're holier than thou because they use a certain
language? hahaha :D. Come on Clinton, you can do better than that ;).
<snip />

I suppose weenies in this context can be thought of as similar to the
squeaky wheels that get the grease. They make a lot of noise and then
somebody has to take the time to get off the wagon and give them a bottle
or change the diaper while the rest of the wagon train is held up waiting
to cross the river.

This is not to say the collective voice should not be raised but I doubt
anybody can make a legitimate argument which denies Microsoft has made
many accomodations placating the shallow complaints of those glued to the
VB syntax and grammar when it was time to cross the river.

I tried to make a special emphasis to avoid any misperception of being
perceived as holier-than-thou but now that you mention it I do feel very
special for "graduating" from VB syntax and grammar. I was an architect
before working with web development and got started on the web with Cold
Fusion which I rapidly came to understand as a dead end for a person who
wanted to finally become adept at "programming."

So I switched to ASP/VBScript for a couple of years and truth be told I
was always intimidated by JavaScript and Java for the reasons most other
users of "VB" have whined about. I only had one class in C in college and
that was enough to give me the itch which didn't even begin to get
scratched until I took a leap of faith and learned C# and again, I have no
regrets.

Finally, I've been using my terms incorrectly and will forever on use the
precisely correct term "punctuation" when pointing out the exactness
shared amongst Javascript, C# and Java.

<%= Clinton

<%= Clinton



.

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