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JAVA or VB.NET for SQL Server 2000

  • April 28, 2005 at 2:39 pm

    #92950

    We are primarily  a Microsoft shop and use ACCESS 2003 and VB6 for current programming with SQL server 2000 as our backend. However we seem to be inclining towards finding a stable , robust OO software that we want to upgrade to.  Are there any advantages of JAVA or VB.NET  that would help us decide? We do not use web interfaces for the applications, so that is not a factor.

    Any ideas would be appreciated.

  • April 28, 2005 at 2:44 pm

    #555702

    I don't think you can actually use robust and stable in the same sentence.

    But I'm partial to vb of any flavour and extending SQL SERVER with vbs, esp, etc.

  • April 28, 2005 at 5:27 pm

    #555734

    Personally I would go down the c# route if you are going to keep using sql server especially with the clr and custom assemblies stuff coming into sql server 2005.

    Anything that doesn't contain the letters vb is usually good. ( I suppose i better take cover now)

    Dave

  • April 29, 2005 at 7:02 am

    #555878

    I would take either VB.NET or C# to use with SQL Server for the following reasons.

    1. Both are Micorosft products so more features are available.

    2. Uses less development time.

    3. OOD.

    4. .NET framework and CLR.

    5. Developer friendly IDE like Visual Studio.NET

    6. Robust

    7. Stable

    8. Rich client interface (Smart client technology)

    Maybe Java has some advantages in web developemnt like applet technology, but since you are not going to use it defeats the purpose.

  • April 29, 2005 at 7:11 am

    #555884

    I personally prefer to do all of my development in C#, but I think that's mostly due to my comfort with the language and the RAD tools I use with it.

    Since you're not going to use web interfaces, I would base my recommendation off of your deployment requirements.  If your software will always be deployed on a Windows system, there's no question - .NET (either flavor).  If you're going to support additional operating systems, I'd give Java a look.

    Either way, coming from a VB6 background there will be a steep learning curve.  Once you're past that though, it will be gravy.  After I got on board with .NET (VB6/ASP 3.0 background), I was cursing myself for not learning it sooner.

    If you're going into government contracting, I would push for migrating to Java.

    The biggest advantage to C# over Java imho, is the shorter development time.

  • April 29, 2005 at 7:35 am

    #555899

    The advantages that Java offers are:

    --Platform independence.  If you're careful when you write your Java, it will run on Unix, Windows, Mac, Linux, pretty much anything.

    --Free tools and platforms.  Eclipse is free.  Tomcat is free.  Apache is free.  JBoss is free.  Log4J is free.  Hibernate is free.  And on and on.  Of course, learning to use them isn't free;  but there are no multi-thousand dollar purchase prices or maintenance contracts (though of course you can get a contract for JBoss if you want).

    --J2EE features (if your app uses a J2EE server).  This of course may be a blessing or a curse.  I think that EJBs have been largely discredited.  But you also get JMS, JNDI, and lots of other features.

    --Open source.  If you're having a problem using Java's ArrayList, for instance, and you want to investigate why, all you have to do is open up the source code and see how it works.  You can even debug the source, step through it line by line!

    The advantages that .NET offers are:

    --Truly rapid application development.  All of the .NET controls really are fast and flexible to work with--once you've gotten past the initial learning curve of the whole .NET programming framework.

    --Some really good development tools.  You don't have to use VS.NET for development, but it really is a great tool.

    --Tight integration with SQL Server.  The native interface to SQL Server is, as I understand, faster and more efficient.

  • April 29, 2005 at 8:42 am

    #555961

    I have to agree with Rushdie Bashir.  However I prefer VB because of the case insensitivity and the way it handles compiler diagnostics.  Plus there are more  programmers in the world that use VB than any other language.

  • April 29, 2005 at 5:05 pm

    #556101

    If you really must leave Access, I would go with VB .NET or C#.

    But, in my hands, Access ADP development is much, much, much, much more productive than any of the previously mentioned tools, including .NET.  I would think this over very carefully before you make the switch, and potentially waste huge amounts of time and money.  The .NET 2005 Windows Forms designer is still very much a "version 1" product in terms of database development, compared to Access 2003.

    IMO, if you are just switching from Access to play with a better OOP environment, you are making a huge mistake.  You should only switch if you can't easily accomplish your design goals or team management in Access.

    However, if you are converting from VB6, .NET (VB/C# or whatever) blows VB6 away.

  • April 29, 2005 at 5:54 pm

    #556104

    Thanks for all your input.

    We have one big application that we are migrating from VB6.0 primarily because Microsoft is stopping support for VB6.0 very soon. Hence in order to keep all the developers on the same platoform we were thinking of switching to one OO platfrom Coming from 9 years of C and some C++ development I personally preferred JAVA , but it looks like .NET or C# is the way to go with a SQL server backend. I will have to investigate them some more.

  • April 30, 2005 at 10:07 am

    #556137

    I originally learnt BASIC and over the years have learnt a variety of langauges. If you are a MS shop then going for a .NET language is a no-brainer.

    I used to take umbrage over non-VB programmers deriding VB however, as I have learnt C++, Java, C#, VB.NET I can see why VB is frowned upon.

    A crap programmer can get away with being a crap programmer with VB. C++ is intolerant of bodgers.

    BASIC stands for Beginners All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code or Bodgers And Simpletons Incomprehensible Cobblers for the less sympathetic. It was designed as a teaching language, not the for the job it has ended up doing.

    C# was written to be a better Java than Java. Perhaps the greatest complement to pay .NET is that it has been ported to *NIX.

    I was expecting .NET to kill off a lot of older bodge programmers but this doesn't seem to have happened....yet.

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  • May 2, 2005 at 2:22 am

    #556226

    I'm a very different opinion

    I'm using for the Windows development Delphi which is reliably and fast in development and execution time, working extremly well with databases.

    For the Internet development we are using PHP



    Bye
    Gabor

  • May 2, 2005 at 2:25 am

    #556227

    Just to have a different opinion in a 100% MS world

    I'm using Delphi for the Windows development, because it is very fast in development and execution time (it creates true exe files) and it is quite reliably.

    For the NET development we are using PHP



    Bye
    Gabor

  • May 2, 2005 at 5:36 am

    #556241

    Is it true that Micrsoft is continuing paid service for VB6.0 for another 3 years ? I could not find anything on their website about it. Is there any talk of VB.NET going away ? I do not want to migrate to something that is already in the works of being replaced by yet another language/tool.

  • May 2, 2005 at 7:25 am

    #556273

    Microsoft will never take VB.Net away. They may improve it. It's still more user friendly than C# and the code is better readeable, but C# is more powerful in the .NET world.

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