Jan. 15, 2003
Microsoft’s .NET represents a significant advance in the software development industry. They have clearly learned from past experience, invested heavily, and have delivered the finest software development platform available today.
Microsoft had the critical advantage of following and learning from Java, C++, VB, and Delphi. Also, Microsoft was able to deploy virtually unlimited resources to this high priority project. Given these advantages, I am not surprised that the early results are impressive.
I have been actively developing with .NET since the Beta 1 release in the spring of 2001. The .NET design is excellent and so are the tools. I believe that .NET is “Java done right”.
.NET provides the platform independence of Java while not forcing the use of any particular language. Developers using C++, VB, C#, Delphi, and many other languages can run on any .NET platform.
Microsoft’s new language C# provides the simplicity of Java while giving developers some of the flexibility that Java removed. Java is a simplified, but incomplete version of C++. C# retains the simplicity of Java but has kept support for many of the features that C++ developers know they need (enumerations; pre-processor; pointers; etc.). There are also many new useful features added in.
Microsoft’s .NET development tool Visual Studio.NET far exceeds anything available from the Java Tool Vendors. In fact the Visual Studio.NET tools are better than the previous development tool leaders Microsoft Visual Basic and Borland Delphi.
The only remaining issues are platform stability and efficiency. When Microsoft demonstrates that they have delivered on these issues, .NET adoption and success is virtually guaranteed.
Visual Studio .NET, ADO.NET, ASP.NET, and C# are all significant improvements over their predecessors. Developers should be using them and customers should be inquiring about their use.
Please contact Optimum for all of your .NET needs.
