From Java to .Net

Question

These are some questions for any developer whose made the jump from Java to .Net:

If you could go back to the start of your switched, what would you do to make the transition easier?

Any books you would recommend?

How is .Net compared to Java EE? Anything that totally bugs you?

And the most important, do you regret making the jump?

Answer 1

I did several years of C/C++ development in between Java and .NET, so my experience may be a bit different.

I found the move from Java to C# very easy. The languages are very similar and much of the framework works in similar ways. I loved Java, but I don't think I will be going back. I think the biggest differences for me are the tools. Visual Studio is a great product on makes coding a pleasure. Add in a refactoring addon for VS like Resharper and you probably won't look back.

Depending on the type of development you do, I would avoid WPF at first and stick to WinForms (or WebForms vs Silverlight) as you will be more at home there coming from Java. Move to WPF or Silverlight once you start feeling comfortable as there is a lot to learn with these frameworks.

You will also find that many of the OpenSource libraries you may have used in the past have been ported to .NET, so that may help you hit the ground running.

The best book in my opinion is Professional C# 2008 by Wrox Press. As a Java programmer, you won't have too many problems with the language, you will need the most help with the framework. This book will be very helpful there.

Answer 2

Get a decent refactoring plugin for VS, because you will miss all the nice refactorings of your Java-IDE.