>>>>If you want to learn a ne programming language, your most important decision will be which platform(s) your application will run on. If you are willing to bet that Windows will keep on dominating, which is not going to happen, you can go for .net. However, if your applications also shall run on other devices, like Apple or Unix computers, tablets or smartphones, .net is a dead end.
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>>>Would you care to elaborate on the last part of this comment? I would like to collect more info on this .NET is not suitable for smartphones, as you mentioned.
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>>AFAIK, the most important module of .net, the CLR, is only available and supported on devices running Windows, in other words Windows computers and Windows smartphones. There appearantly is a CLR version available for Apple and possibly also one for Unix, but they are more or less dust collecting open source projects with minimal or no support.
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>Yes, but given that Windows has 85% market share that doesn't seem to be much of a limiting factor. Is the market share gradually slipping? Yes. Will it continue to drop? Surely. I just don't see a reason to get out while the getting's good, a la FoxPro.
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>Re Unix, there is an old quote I have always liked: "Unix is the operating system of the future, and always will be." <g>

You overlook that I also include smartphones and tablets as targets for more and more new programs.