I came in here because you're upgrading the site and stuff

[meth962]

I'm not sure I ever had to contact Microsoft Experts but maybe that's up to the environment? Pretty sure most hosts can support Microsoft products, they're kind big y'know

ASP.Net is good for you since you excel at C#. Have you ever dabbled with MVC? It's a better framework of ASP on coding web pages in C# with SQL or other database handles.

[K73SK]

It's my opinion that one should avoid Microsoft products when it makes sense. If you were doing a client-side application that was going to be running as an executable, I would say that using C# makes sense; however, in the case of server-side scripting/programming, I think you would find it more beneficial to be able to leverage all of the tools that already exist.

But even considering this, I would say the most crucial point is that if you run into a problem with a Microsoft product, you can only debug so far on your own before you hit the proprietary wall. With open source, you can go as far as you need to. If it's too tough, then you can talk to the community that maintains that particular tool, instead of "Microsoft Experts".

I didn't realize you had user registration on the main site. What's that for?

I disagree. In fact, C# can be as powerful as C, C++, etc. if you really know how to program in it. Also the reason I would start from scratch instead of using tools that already exists is because then *I* have complete control of what I made and can make the modifications necessary. Not to mention, I could trace an error faster than if someone else made the tool. For example, if phpbb crashes or gives me problems, I have to rely on the internet and see what problems other people have had with it. The mods that are used on these forums are viewable, yes; but if something goes wrong, many times I don't have the time to sit for hours trying to see how 100 different programmers put something together and then hope I can find the solution to a problem. Or go onto the internet and hope someone can give me a solution.

Like meth962, I've never had to contact Microsoft Experts... Even for ASP.NET. I'm still learning it and haven't had any problems. And why learn PHP from scratch, learn how to program MySQL into it, etc. when I already know C# and can simply implement it into ASP.NET? Much easier and more efficient considering I know how to make use of very efficient C# (especially with LINQ).

I don't have user registration for the main site yet. That's the main goal for the new site. It'll allow people to report errors, make comments, and have more contact with anyone who goes on the site but doesn't use the forums (or IRC now).

And debugging so far until you hit a wall is nothing that's ever happened with me in C#. I've literally been able to debug things completely. Just like anything else, Microsoft is not invulnerable to "figuring out". If anything, it's just as easy to debug with C# as any other language (if not easier, considering the much easier-to-read syntax the errors provide you).

I'm not saying I am some Microsoft fan. I can't stand Windows, personally. However, C# is probably the best thing to come from Microsoft out of all the things they have done. And C# is actually my favorite language, even if I can't stand the fact it doesn't work on Linux, which I tend to try and use more often than Windows.

I'm not sure I ever had to contact Microsoft Experts but maybe that's up to the environment? Pretty sure most hosts can support Microsoft products, they're kind big y'know

ASP.Net is good for you since you excel at C#. Have you ever dabbled with MVC? It's a better framework of ASP on coding web pages in C# with SQL or other database handles.

I haven't quite jumped into MVC yet, although it's definitely I'll be considering because of its fast-growing popularity. The current host I'm with doesn't support Microsoft, only Linux servers (which don't do .NET Framework [without tweaks]).

[meth962]

Yeah, nothing can be more frustrating than trying out something completely new and then getting stuck trying to debug an error/issue with SQL that you've never seen before. I would say PHP should come easy to you, but I agree, not worth the risk of running into that hurdle if you get stuck.

Ah good you use LINQ I have faith that the new site will be awesome.

[K73SK]

Yes. And trust me, once I learned LINQ, C# was a completely different language! lol. It's amazing that you can take 60 lines of code and shrink it into 5 lines by using a single LINQ statement.