Just wanted to share with everyone here, because I am so proud of myself, after using Visual C# for only 4 weeks and then going on an intensive course for 4 days, I have just passed the Microsoft Visual C# exam. I know it’s not Xojo (wish it was), but I just wanted to share.
Grattis!!
Always fun to succeed in things! 
Is VC for rapid deployment ? What are the best features of vc compared to xojo ?
Congratulations.
Learning another language opens your mind and gives you more assurance. It is also a good asset to better understand the documentation to build declares.
Although Visual Studio is sometimes presented as a Rapid Application Development tool, it is somewhat slower than Xojo. Not necessarily in terms of controls ; they are pretty much the same. The main advantage is total access to the entire framework, but that comes at a price.
I find the autocomplete less friendly with a list of options and the need to validate the choice, and the way events are shown is less friendly than the way Xojo shows them. It is necessary to go into the code, instead of having them in the navigator. But the main problem is the paradox of choice : instead each control has two pages with extended subfolders of properties. This ensue a lot more decisions to make and possibilities of bugs. A lot of things Xojo takes care of for you, you need to do yourself.
Finally, Microsoft Developer Network forums are a whole lot less friendly than this one. Most of the time if you ask a question, all you will get is a MVP telling you what is in the documentation, point you to the page, and that is pretty much it. In my experience, I have never encountered many people doing what you experienced here, that is holding your hand until you succeed, whatever the issue.
it doesn’t flicker!
True. Thanks to .NET. But the .NET framework is kind of the extra strength version of Xojo’s new framework. Not quite simple.
However, I do hope at some point Xojo becomes able to use .NET instead of Win32. That would be the best thing they can do to insure Xojo relevancy on the Windows platform. And seeing how beautifully the abstracted the iOS framework, I am confident it would a way easier to use than VS and its mile long series of namespaces !
Haha, you’re kind of bitchy 
I remember there were some discussions and plans presented for .NET implementation , think about a year ago.
its 10th place in feedback. i wouldn’t hold your breath !
Geeze. Can we get 64 bit and Linux ARM working first? And then 64 bit debugging and whatever else won’t be done for R3 before pushing for the ‘next big thing’?
That was my point really. I suspect it wont happen until MS force the issue by deciding to drop win32. which i suspect is highly unlikely to be any time soon.
[quote=221044:@Bob Keeney]@Russ Lunn its 10th place in feedback. i wouldn’t hold your breath !
Geeze. Can we get 64 bit and Linux ARM working first? And then 64 bit debugging and whatever else won’t be done for R3 before pushing for the ‘next big thing’?[/quote]
No problem. .NET has been part of VB since 2002, it has been implemented in XP, so we can probably wait yet another ten years 
By then , no serious Windows developer will ever consider Xojo. But that’s not an issue, hey, let’em buy Pi
[quote=221065:@Michel Bujardet]No problem. .NET has been part of VB since 2002, it has been implemented in XP, so we can probably wait yet another ten years
By then , no serious Windows developer will ever consider Xojo. But that’s not an issue, hey, let’em buy Pi ;)[/quote]
I see Michel, it’s weekend now. Enjoy and take with a smile.
Good week end to you too, Joost.
[quote=220986:@Michel Bujardet]
Finally, Microsoft Developer Network forums are a whole lot less friendly than this one. Most of the time if you ask a question, all you will get is a MVP telling you what is in the documentation, point you to the page, and that is pretty much it. In my experience, I have never encountered many people doing what you experienced here, that is holding your hand until you succeed, whatever the issue.[/quote]
Yes I agree in terms of cooperation this is the best forum hands down.
Mark, congratulations to the achievement. I encourage You to continue to use C# and build up a strong knowledge base. After all, C# is indeed a living program language.
When Microsoft ran the newsgroup the standard was much higher compared with the present forums. It was sad that Microsoft closed them but that’s rather typical for them.
However, being Microsoft MVP myself for a couple of years I cannot recognize myself it the description that Micher Bujardet gives. It exist a great number of non-Microsoft forums that rocks and provide excellent support both in terms of technologies but also in terms of friendliness. I encourage You to explore and discover other forums.
AFAIK, It only exist one forum that is devoted to Xojo is this one. Stating it’s the best forum when there exist no other devoted forums bring no value at all.
My point was about Microsoft forums. Not other forums. Sorry if you took it personally, that is simply my experience, and I have been a member of Msdn for many, many years.
Now your reply is typical of what I constantly encounter in those forums. Saying that other forums exist that rock, but giving no pointers at all.
That was Horacio’s opinion, but if I was to compare this forum to the great many I have visited, I would have to agree that it is indeed the only one where snooty attitudes are rare, and where members really go out of their way to help. Very much unlike other places where people love bashing newcomers. Or say “it’s very easy but am not going to tell”…
Thanks for the comments guys. I’ve not had the chance to venture to any Microsoft based forums, to be honest, this exam is mainly a box ticking exercise for the company I work for. It’s still nice to be able to say that I survived passed the course though. Although I have two more exams on Tuesday (both for Windows App Store development).
Odd thing is, my primary languages for my work at home (in order of preference) are Xojo, Swift, Objective-C and then Visual C#, but then that’s because I mainly target Apple platforms. I may start looking at Xamarin, but I have far too much time and effort invested in Xojo, and to be really honest, for rapid development and prototyping, I can’t think of many other development systems that can beat it for what I need.