Thanks for all the replies so far. I'm biased towards C# (despite some background in VB) so I'm looking to go with that. Especially the fact that C# started as an OO programming language while VB 'grew' into this makes me think that C# will be the better choice. At the moment I'm going through the MicroSoft tutorials they provide with the software.
Using it in UNIX to Windows migration marketing might have something to do with it. Vaguely reminiscent of Posix 'compliance' in NT. Buyer beware even if it is 'free'.
Well ... if you are going to learn something new you might as well use open source or java. I thought you wanted to not have to reinvent the wheel as much.... If you are now saying that you want a strategic solution you should also consider Java, and open source solutions like Python, PHP, and mysql. Once you start talking about learning new technologies for strategic use, then there is little reason to bias towards $soft ... In the software development world they are on their way out .....
For some reason I prefer going with Microsoft Software because I think MS will stay the OS in the future. Obviously MS languages will keep working under this environment. Hence my choice for Visual Studio Talking about costs: At the moment Microsoft offers free versions of the Visual Studio 2005 Express editions
Bill Gates (hence MSFT) is a marketing guru (company)... not a solutions provider... Don't fool yourself...
a lot of commercial software I currently pay for used to be open source. In addition, open source doesn't automatically mean good support, design or that it will always be around. In many cases, quite the opposite. Java is very popular in financial institutions, but C# is catching on there too. I am a novice programmer, but I feel more confident using MS C# to strategically gel together .Net versions of MS Excel, MS Access, MS Internet Explorer and MS Windows than if I was trying to figure out how to marry together disparate open source solutions myself, given my limited knowledge and that I don't have the time to embrace open source varieties. That said, Python is great. It seems to work with everything and the arrival of ironpython looks to be a major convenience.
Strange as it may seem, I like using Microsoft because besides it being a great platform, Bill Gates has donated the vast majority of his wealth to charity and is actively involved, with his wife, in ensuring the money is spent responsibly. I can't say I was noble enough to choose MS because of this! But it is nice to know how Bill is spending his money.
Once again words from someone who clearly hasn't any actual experience. I'll never understand why those who are ignorant tend to speak the loudest. To be ignorant is one thing, but to be ignorant of your ignorance is another thing entirely.
Anyone ever notice how the people that attack using denigration tactics really have nothing to say ? Anyway, to the original poster ... if you truly desire to develop a strategic system for your own company use and you aren't mandated to use a particular technology you should definitely look at open source systems and the eclipse/java systems. They are free, and - with the exception of java which you dont need to use, you could use C++ and other open frameworks - you have full access to the source of the OS and all server and frameworks. $soft will not provide this and they will charge you a pretty penny - as of their licensing schemes to date - to use these in any type of commerical application. Also, we find that it costs less through system life to build, and deploy solutions using open source systems, and it reduces ongoing vendor risk. So, my advice: ignore the personall attacks and rants and compare all of this if you truly desire to build an enterprise level system. If all you desire to do is to build a one-off system for your own personal use then it really matters less which technology you choose and in this case I would still recommend using the one that you are most familiar with .....