John,

>However, it boggles the mind as to why you would go back to something that looks more like C/C++/Java as opposed to using a langauage like VB .NET - which is essentially VFP without the native data engine. VB .NET is a lot more similar to VFP than C# is.

I agree...but I think choosing C# or VB.NET on the basis of which syntax is easier to learn is not the best path. You made a comment about people choosing C# "just because it has a C in its name"...well, this *is* a great reason to choose C#. If I learn VB.NET, I now know one additional *Microsoft* language. If I learn C#, I am now familiar with a family of languages including one very popular non-Microsoft language...Java. This is huge. Many of my clients are not Microsoft-only shops...it comes in extremely handy to have Java in your back pocket!

>>FWIW, my exposure to C/C++ is VERY limited. And, I have ZERO experence with Java.

Gotcha...here's the lowdown on how similar C# is to Java (I've taken these figures from October 2000 issue of "The Java Report" magazine):

"C# is Java with single inheritance; automatic memory management; 41 of 43 of the same operators; all the same flow of control statements, plus foreach; 38 of 50 Java keywords; and if you allow for synonyms, 46 of the same 50 keywords."

The article...again, this is in a key Java trade journal...talks about what a great job Microsoft and Anders Hejlsberg have done with C#. It identifies several key areas of weakness in Java and describes how Microsoft has addressed each one of these issues.

On another important note, on December 13, 2001, the ECMA ratified C# and the CLI specs into international standards. This means that we can look forward to C# on other non-Microsoft platforms. Check it out:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/net/ecma/.

Another interesting article on the subject is an on-line "Visual Studio Magazine" article titled "Don't stop with VB.NET: Try C#":

http://www.devx.com/premier/mgznarch/vbpj/2001/09sep01/rc0109/rc0109.asp

I agree with the statement at the end of the article:

"Knowing how to develop for this new set of technologies—whether you're using VB.NET, C#, or something else—is going to improve your value as a programmer. Knowing C# will increase your value even more."

>>If you want to provide value in your "training" - you should show both C# and VB .NET

*Because* I want to provide value in my training I'm only using a single language. I would rather cover one language well rather than provide minimal cover of two languages.

Regards,