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Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

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Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#21

Post by jorgeortiz85 »

amichail wrote: post #17
bdittmer wrote: post #2

I think as a language C# is superior to Java. That being said, learn Java. The open source community alone makes it a much more attractive platform to build apps on. The number of choices in terms of frameworks + no vendor lock in makes it a winner. If you're serious about learning it pick up a copy of Effective Java by Joshua Bloch -- by far the best general Java book out there.

Learn Scala: http://www.scala-lang.org

Agreed. As a language, Scala is superior to both C# and Java. It's open source and it has the advantage of being compatible with Java's platform, environment, and libraries.

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#22

Post by jimfl »

C# and Java are very similar. Learn one, and the path to the other is quick. The languages have essentially the same feature set, though some of the advanced concepts (reflection metadata, generics) are easier to learn on C#. XML in C# makes Java seem like a major pain in the 455.

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#23

Post by rbanffy »

If those were my only choices, I would consider changing my career. Maybe learn to cook and open a gourmet restaurant.

Now, seriously, I would go for Java because, at least, it can run cross-platform without the danger of Microsoft suing you out of existence.

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#24

Post by rbanffy »

johns wrote: post #15
speek wrote: post #11

C# has got a bunch of neat functional stuff in it (Microsoft's researchers have seen the glory of functional languages), but Java might be easier to start off with. Once you can get through Java, everything else you learn will feel immensely superior...

Can you back up your claim that Java is easier to start with?

Nobody can. But then, C# isn't easy to start with.

"The least painful" is what I would say.

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#25

Post by jcromartie »

geuis wrote: post #9
bdittmer wrote: post #2

I think as a language C# is superior to Java. That being said, learn Java. The open source community alone makes it a much more attractive platform to build apps on. The number of choices in terms of frameworks + no vendor lock in makes it a winner. If you're serious about learning it pick up a copy of Effective Java by Joshua Bloch -- by far the best general Java book out there.

Man I know that I'm gonna get burned for saying it, but java isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I've worked for two companies that are java-based and both experiences have been horrible. Except for a handful of people, every java "engineer" I've known has been a siv. The ones that rock happen to just know java in addition to experience in other languages. Point in case, we are implementing some new web apis soon.…

"Java programmers" are the worst part about programming in Java. There are plenty of smart people doing smart things on the platform, but you won't find them on the average project due to the fact that it seems like every idiot programmer on the planet works in Java too. Perhaps it is second to VB in this regard, but I am not sure.

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#26

Post by axod »

geuis wrote: post #9
bdittmer wrote: post #2

I think as a language C# is superior to Java. That being said, learn Java. The open source community alone makes it a much more attractive platform to build apps on. The number of choices in terms of frameworks + no vendor lock in makes it a winner. If you're serious about learning it pick up a copy of Effective Java by Joshua Bloch -- by far the best general Java book out there.

Man I know that I'm gonna get burned for saying it, but java isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I've worked for two companies that are java-based and both experiences have been horrible. Except for a handful of people, every java "engineer" I've known has been a siv. The ones that rock happen to just know java in addition to experience in other languages. Point in case, we are implementing some new web apis soon.…

"java isn't all that it's cracked up to be"

"every java 'engineer' I've known has been a siv"

It depends if you're learning a language to build stuff, or to work with good people (community). As a language, I'd say java rocks most of the time and does a good job of things.

It's similar to javascript. A large number of people who program javascript are really pretty poor programmers, who just program by trial+error, or copy+paste code they found on the web. This doesn't mean javascript as a language is bad though. It just attracts a wide range of users.

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#27

Post by johns »

rbanffy wrote: post #24
johns wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you back up your claim that Java is easier to start with?

Nobody can. But then, C# isn't easy to start with. "The least painful" is what I would say.

I'll bite again. What makes C# so difficult to start with? I seriously want to know what obstacles are out there for people interested in starting with C#.

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#28

Post by alnayyir »

geuis wrote: post #9
bdittmer wrote: post #2

I think as a language C# is superior to Java. That being said, learn Java. The open source community alone makes it a much more attractive platform to build apps on. The number of choices in terms of frameworks + no vendor lock in makes it a winner. If you're serious about learning it pick up a copy of Effective Java by Joshua Bloch -- by far the best general Java book out there.

Man I know that I'm gonna get burned for saying it, but java isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I've worked for two companies that are java-based and both experiences have been horrible. Except for a handful of people, every java "engineer" I've known has been a siv. The ones that rock happen to just know java in addition to experience in other languages. Point in case, we are implementing some new web apis soon.…

siv?

Re: Ask HN : Which should I learn : C# or Java

#29

Post by icey »

mickt wrote: post #18

I've noticed that no-one has talked about the cost of using either. Yes the Java IDE's are somewhat inferior to MS's, but you can get everything you need to write, develop, manage, and host Java applications for free compared to MS; the OS, IDE, Web Server ... all cost money which can be a substantial amount for commercial purposes.

Due to Mono, this is only like 63% true.
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