What a week we have ahead. After being on course for two weeks doing "Advanced Java" and "XML and Webservices" (oh, offered by the friendly folk at Solms TCD) I am pretty stoked and ready to role with some new ideas.
The initial module of our current development is due for release into user testing at the end of this week. Nerves are on edge a bit but all in all I think it will come off pretty nicely. We obviously have to get through the teething stages but I don't think we will have to much to worry about.
I had an interesting discussion with an indivdual the other day who claimed that C# is better than Java. Naturally after being on the advanced Java course I disagreed. Then looking back on it I think the two are incomparable.
If you think about it logically, Java is platform independant. Yes sure it compiles down to a CRL the same way C# does but the fact that it is platform independant by design means that the two languages have no lowest common denominator. If it was a pure *nix or Windows CRL then fine you can compare them, but it isn't.
This boils down to a conclusion I have raised amongst people many times. Use the right tool for the job. If your target platform is specifically Windows with no chance of moving to another platform, use .NET. If you have to implement your application on a *nix platform only, or it has to be cross platform then use Java.
If you want to develop an enterprise application (which will obviously run on some form of *nix due to instability in Windows (oh yes it is)) then develop Java.
Again, use the right tool for the job. The solution we are deploying is an n-tier SOA solution. The business logic is developed and served via Java frameworks. The thin client is developed in C#. *nix stability with Windows desktops.
So let us all stop comparing apples with bananas and get on with our jobs. The best possible thing any developer can do is learn as many different technologies as possible. This will allow you to provide proper solutions and it makes you more marketable.
Have a happy day now :)
