Why should I learn C#? [closed]

Question

I want to know why I should learn C#?

What features does C# have that Java does not?

Answer 1

C# is an object-oriented high-level language which can be useful to develop applications.

It supports getter/setter constructs, delegates and true generics, which Java does not. C# usually feels more "native" on Windows, since Windows.Forms and WPF are closer to native code than Swing. However, Java is more cross-platform than C#(even though project "Mono" is changing that)

Answer 2

There's a whole lot of differences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_C_Sharp_and_Java

Whether you should use one over the other depends on your priorities. What do you want to write in them?

Answer 3

C# (and other the CLR languages) have aspects of functional programming (such as delegates and closures) that make some types of development and design patterns easier. See this post by Steve Yegge for more. Delegates can make code much more expressive and concise.

Answer 4

You should learn both, and use each of them as appropriate. I don't feel like it's a "which one should I learn?" kind of question. (Or a "I know Java, why should I learn C#?" question.) That comparison that Welbog posted will help you decide when to use one over the other. But, myself, I like having both in my toolkit.

Answer 5

Syntax: They are both reasonable languages--they support pretty much the same high level structures and designs (OO, encapsulation, ...) and are fairly equal up until you get down to the code level (which overall isn't that big a deal. C# beats java in features, Java beats C# in simplicity I guess).

Portability: My biggest factor has been that lately I've worked on apps for a spectrum analyzer and upcoming cable systems. Neither would have been remotely programmable in C# (you are completely reliant on microsoft to port the runtime to your platform of interest. Java is open source (there may still be one or two little pieces that aren't, but they are sincerely working on that and it's enough that you can port it and use it just about anywhere.

If you are only ever interested in Windows and if you'd like to take advantage of tight, simple integration with windows, then C# is the platform for you.

VM Both languages include a "Runtime" that can support other languages--and those other languages generally have access to the (very rich) libraries provided in each environment.

Microsoft can run a few (a dozen) languages on it's VM, none as impressive as C# (although Ruby and Python could be good--are they fully available yet)?

The JVM has a few hundred including some cutting-edge experimental languages that often run as well as or better than their native counterparts. Some are considered the next generation in programming, as different from Java/C# as they were from C. I looked into Scala, but I must be getting old, it just hurt my head, but I admit there are some very advanced concepts available in there. Groovy rocks.

System integration/tools: C# wins hands down since Java can't commit to any one platform. C# is also very well integrated with databases and other external dependencies, Java is getting better integrated, but the tools are a little more mismatched. C# the entire toolset tends to be very integrated since it all tends to come from a single vendor.

Number of platforms using it (number of potential customers): Last I heard, Java wins hands down. WAY down. Every try to figure out how many phones, microwaves, TVs and toasters might be running Java? The number dwarfs every other language combined as I understand it...

Answer 6

the only reason you should is because you want to

C# is a

multi-paradigm programming language that encompasses functional, imperative, generic, object-oriented (class-based), and component-oriented programming disciplines

so you get to learn a lot of tricks from different paradigms, all in a single language

Answer 7

There are lots of questions that people have asked on this topic already. Read up, they've got good infos there. :)