Is C# Making Devs Dumber (part two)
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Some days ago I wrote about a new client I got, where I currently spend full-time developing in C++. I also made the statement that C# makes developers dumber. That made quite a few people upset ;) Unfortunately I did not have time to address all the replies, so I thought I would do it here, in a new post. One of the things I really love about C++ is pointers, and the way you can work with them. There are a lot of possible errors, but if you know what you are doing, C++ is seriously cool. C++ keeps me sharp (no pun intended) whereas C# wrap me in some sort of "secure wold" where I can relax in a way not possible in C++... Thats what I mean by "C# makes developers dumber"... - Anders My new photo website[^]
C# is just the beginning. Programming languages will continue to become increasingly abstract and thus lend themselves to greater programmer productivity. Does anyone still lament the leap from assembler to higher-level code like C? Many programmers now do not even consider C high-level. Before very long, even C++ will almost seem like assembler does now because of the need to pay attention to low-level details. Eventually, C# will be eclipsed by something even more abstract (perhaps C** "See Stars") where the programmer makes syntactical "gestures" and the compiler just seems to know what you mean. Integrated logic debugging will be tightly married to code production rather than an afterthought. Intellisense is the handwriting on the wall, so to speak, a hint of what is to come. Every religion has its adherents, and programming languages are a lot like religions - formal systems of belief. But the holy grail for coders is and always will be productivity. Doing the most with the least effort, the fewest lines of code, is what drives compiler development and pushes programming languages into higher and higher levels of abstraction. We have lift-off. Thorn
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And is that a bad thing? That instead of focusing on basic survival skills we have created an infrastructure and environment that looks after us freeing up that time so that we may focus on higher-level tasks. I don't want to have to spend time learning how to purify water so that I may safely drink it. Same with programming applications. I want to focus on features, usability and functionality. Not figuring out pointers, bytes and low level processes. regards, Paul Watson Ireland FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
I have been programming in C, Java, Perl and PHP. I started to use C# just very recently after I purchased Visual Studio.NET with a student discount. And I think it is soooo easy to make GUI programmes with VS. This is what I think: When I want to make something quick, I use VS. If I want to challenge my mind, I go back to C. So, what is the problem here? GUI is good... I don't really think so...
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Some days ago I wrote about a new client I got, where I currently spend full-time developing in C++. I also made the statement that C# makes developers dumber. That made quite a few people upset ;) Unfortunately I did not have time to address all the replies, so I thought I would do it here, in a new post. One of the things I really love about C++ is pointers, and the way you can work with them. There are a lot of possible errors, but if you know what you are doing, C++ is seriously cool. C++ keeps me sharp (no pun intended) whereas C# wrap me in some sort of "secure wold" where I can relax in a way not possible in C++... Thats what I mean by "C# makes developers dumber"... - Anders My new photo website[^]
It really does make developers appear to be "dumber" because they lose their edge. The wild, adrenalin-filled world of programming in C/C++ and having to worry about overwriting a random part of your memory with pointers or whatever the hell else you are doing (most things can mess if your computer if you make a mistake with them) keeps programmers alive. By always being on their toes, C/C++ programmers are more given towards coming up with innovative and creative algorithms/design paradigms. In essence, C#'s number one advantage over C/C++ (its feeling of security), is a double-edged sword. Sure, it's good for writing quick programs, but it isn't good for innovation, which is key in today's uber-competitive world. After all, if it were a perfect language, professional video games would be coded in it to save time.
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Paul Watson wrote:
Same with programming applications. I want to focus on features, usability and functionality. Not figuring out pointers, bytes and low level processes.
Even in C++ if all you do is focus on memory, then you're a C++ rookie. It's not really that difficult. And if you spend all your time debugging it, then you're (not you, generalizing) a lousy C++ programmer. I'm not against C#. I think it's a great replacement for VB that's long overdue. But, I still don't think it replaces C/C++, just classic VB's market. It just happened to take a few C++ devs with it that really wanted to be in VB but they didn't want to seem like a "VB programmer." Jeremy Falcon
Jeremy Falcon Wrote:
"I'm not against C#. I think it's a great replacement for VB that's long overdue. ":omg: I don't think of C# as a "replacement" for VB, WRONG. VB is not going away anytime soon! If anything it is an intermediary between VB and C++, because it does have allot more functionality than VB especially in the graphics department. :) DB_Cooper1950 -- modified at 7:23 Saturday 24th June, 2006