A few months back in my post Why I love C#, Mike left some really interesting comments about the preference of C# over VB and what he thinks matters when it comes to return-on-investment vis-a-vis programming language choice, to quote:
The author of this C# article fails to mention even a single thing (a real example, in a real business situation) where he did something better and quicker because he was using C#
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And if it is true that C# programmers cost 10% more, then I as a person who has been hiring programmers for 15 years, certainly do not want to bring in C#. Instead I will put my money in VB.NET which is easier to read and programmers cost less – so I save my company money – and achieve exactly the same results – in less time.
And in a later comment:
More importantly, almost all programming is done for use in a business environment. Which means there needs to be ROI, and the best one possible.
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Of course ROI does not apply if you are doing non-critical (to business) programming work, in which case the longer learning curve of C# does not matter – as it is all for fun; but for serious business applications, Lambda expressions, and the odd features really do not matter.
His opinion on the matter is interesting because first, it comes from the perspective of a business person who, in the "15 years of hiring developers", has found no need for the use of any language more complex than Basic. He has found C# or other non-english-like language so unnecessary to his applications that he is convinced they are a waste of resources in terms of return-on-investment.
The AK-47 is probably the most popular assault rifle in the planet
I actually agree with him. The key of success in many products is often their simplicity in terms of construction, operating principles, and the ease by which you could find or manufacture spare parts (as an analog to software maintenance) for these products. Consider for example, the most pervasive assault weapon in the planet: the AK-47.
The reasons for the AK-47's success is simple:
Even after six decades, due to its durability, low production cost and ease of use, the model and its variants remain the most widely used and popular assault rifles in the world. It has been manufactured in many countries and has seen service with regular armed forces as well as irregular, revolutionary and terrorist organizations worldwide. The AK-47 was also used as a basis for the development of many other types of individual and crew-served firearms. More AK-type rifles have been produced than all other assault rifles combined. [Wikipedia article on AK-47]
Clearly, the AK-47's superior qualities should have made it the assault rifle of choice for every military unit in the world, but there are a wide variety of assault rifles and other such weapons used around the world, for a variety of purposes. While some riflemen will simply dislike it because of idealogical reasons (e.g., its Soviet origins or association with paramilitary and terrorist organizations), others may find a variety of practical reasons not to use it: whether it be dimensions, recoil, range, handling, etc.
The same will be true for Visual Basic or its variants. While it's perfect for many, many business applications, with the perception that developers can easily be trained for using it for a reasonable return on investment, there will be cases and applications beyond simple business logic that will render it cumbersome, and where C# may be the better choice of language for development.
Mike also accuses me of dismissing Visual Basic simply because I don't want to be considered a beginner:
It is very clear that he associates VB with his first language BASIC; and because he wants himself not be considered a beginner (but a very experienced programmed well capable of using all symbols in C#) he chooses C#. It is C after all and not a Beginner languange(sic)...
C# with its more cryptic looking code, certainly costs more to the business.
How many commissioned paintings are made with crayons?
If I follow his logic, believing that "cryptic looking code" costs more to business, and using a "simpler language" is more beneficial to businesses, then tell me, why aren't there more paintings made with crayons than those made with oil pastels, acrylic, and other more complex media?
I have to make this clear: I don't think using Visual Basic is tantamount to using crayons. But if I like doing paintings more with acrylics than with oils, or with watercolor than with gouache, or with sable brushes than synthetic ones, or with lacquer-based rather than water-based paints, should it be taken against me?
If the person who commissions my work mandates me to use Visual Basic, then by all means I'll use it, but that doesn't mean my preference for working with C# will go away. It's a tooling preference, a matter of choice, and not the kind of elitism Mike implies in his comment.
Every craftsman will have his tool of choice, and they'll try to use it as much as the circumstances will allow.
