4 ms·

"I can code in somewhere between 60 and 80 languages, and I can assure you there is nothing like C#." Um, really? I can just barely name 35 languages, even inc

"I can code in somewhere between 60 and 80 languages, and I can assure you there is nothing like C#." Um, really? I can just barely name 35 languages, even including esoteric ones like Brainf*ck and Shakespeare.

davedx 14y ago
Indeed. And although I love C# and use it all the time, it's ridiculous to claim there is 'nothing like it'. Um, Java for instance?!
- minhajuddin 14y ago
  The C# syntax is a lot better than java. Java's verbosity is too much. And Microsoft had done a good job at making things easier in each new version of C#.
  - evilduck 14y ago
    Yes, but the claim was that there's nothing like it, not which is better.
untog 14y ago
That does seem a little hyperbolic. Shame, because the original statement is very valid- C#/.NET is looked down upon in Silicon Valley, but rarely for valid reasons. It's just not "cool".
- latch 14y ago
  People look down on it because: 1 - Most people want to run OSS...specifically Linux so they can leverage all the tools that run better on (or only run on) Linux. Like memcached, varnish, redis...Running .NET on Linux is silly. 2 - Want a dynamic language because it's more productive. It isn't because it's "not cool". It's because general purpose languages are a dime a dozen, and there's no reason not to pick the best one possible. The only advantage .NET has is if you are doing work that integrates with other MS products.
  - kitsune_ 14y ago
    What are "generate purpose languages"? If you meant "general purpose languages", which one is "the best one possible" and for what reasons?
    - latch 14y ago
      fixed, thanks. It depends on the context. Again, if you are doing tight integration with other MS/Windows apps, .NET has a distinct advantage. And, in that case, I would probably say that C# is the best possible solution. Java, which I'm not a fan of, has obvious advantages because of the size of tooling and community. It's also cross platform (which, again, may or may not be a big deal) while having good performance. More broadly, the JVM has those same advantages, plus distinct languages. I'm a fan of dynamic languages. I think Python and Ruby are the best choice for what a lot of people are doing, especially on the web. Python obviously has a lot going for it in the scientific and research community. I'm a former ASP.NET MVP, for what very little that's worth. For building websites, ASP.NET (WebForms, or MVC), is not a productive choice. I'd rather build something in PHP.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - sequence7 14y ago
    Although I think point 1 is valid point 2 seems somewhat hyperbolic. Could you clarify why dynamic languages are more productive than C#?
    - latch 14y ago
      Something that I've written about a lot...yesterday I looked at it from the testing angle: http://openmymind.net/2012/4/24/I-Rather-Have-Silly-Tests-Than-Silly-Code/ http://openmymind.net/2012/4/24/I-Rather-Have-Silly-Tests-Th... It essentially comes down to less code. Some of that is simply less language clutter: public virtual void Add(int a, int b) { } vs def add(a, b) end Some of it is just what's possible due to dynamic languages, whether that's because of the type system, or, more likely, meta programming. The benefit of meta programming compounds itself through libraries too. So not only is my code able to leverage it, but I can use libaries that leverage it and end up with User.find_by_name("leto") (as a classic, but certainly not singular, example)
- r00fus 14y ago
  > It's just not "cool". What a completely misunderstood view. Microsoft has earned the distrust of many many a coder through their cut-throat business tactics and complete disregard/disdain for other operating systems and platforms. Wake me up when I can run a MS stack for near-free in perpetuity... because that's what Microsoft is competing against in the startup world. Do you think Instagram or Twitter's architecture would have been possible without OSS?
archangel_one 14y ago
My thoughts exactly - even if he could code Hello World in 60 languages he couldn't know them in any meaningful sense. And in a spectrum that includes Python, COBOL, Lisp and Brainfuck, I would say that Java is like C#. It's quite a good language, but "nothing like it" is a bit over the top.
weavejester 14y ago
My guess is that the interviewer misheard him and he actually said "between 16 and 18 languages".
- pavel_lishin 14y ago
  Yup - they updated the article.
larrik 14y ago
This seems to be have been corrected in the article.

davedx 14y ago

Indeed. And although I love C# and use it all the time, it's ridiculous to claim there is 'nothing like it'. Um, Java for instance?!

minhajuddin 14y ago
The C# syntax is a lot better than java. Java's verbosity is too much. And Microsoft had done a good job at making things easier in each new version of C#.
- evilduck 14y ago
  Yes, but the claim was that there's nothing like it, not which is better.

untog 14y ago

That does seem a little hyperbolic. Shame, because the original statement is very valid- C#/.NET is looked down upon in Silicon Valley, but rarely for valid reasons. It's just not "cool".

latch 14y ago
People look down on it because: 1 - Most people want to run OSS...specifically Linux so they can leverage all the tools that run better on (or only run on) Linux. Like memcached, varnish, redis...Running .NET on Linux is silly. 2 - Want a dynamic language because it's more productive. It isn't because it's "not cool". It's because general purpose languages are a dime a dozen, and there's no reason not to pick the best one possible. The only advantage .NET has is if you are doing work that integrates with other MS products.
- kitsune_ 14y ago
  What are "generate purpose languages"? If you meant "general purpose languages", which one is "the best one possible" and for what reasons?
  - latch 14y ago
    fixed, thanks. It depends on the context. Again, if you are doing tight integration with other MS/Windows apps, .NET has a distinct advantage. And, in that case, I would probably say that C# is the best possible solution. Java, which I'm not a fan of, has obvious advantages because of the size of tooling and community. It's also cross platform (which, again, may or may not be a big deal) while having good performance. More broadly, the JVM has those same advantages, plus distinct languages. I'm a fan of dynamic languages. I think Python and Ruby are the best choice for what a lot of people are doing, especially on the web. Python obviously has a lot going for it in the scientific and research community. I'm a former ASP.NET MVP, for what very little that's worth. For building websites, ASP.NET (WebForms, or MVC), is not a productive choice. I'd rather build something in PHP.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- sequence7 14y ago
  Although I think point 1 is valid point 2 seems somewhat hyperbolic. Could you clarify why dynamic languages are more productive than C#?
  - latch 14y ago
    Something that I've written about a lot...yesterday I looked at it from the testing angle: http://openmymind.net/2012/4/24/I-Rather-Have-Silly-Tests-Than-Silly-Code/ http://openmymind.net/2012/4/24/I-Rather-Have-Silly-Tests-Th... It essentially comes down to less code. Some of that is simply less language clutter: public virtual void Add(int a, int b) { } vs def add(a, b) end Some of it is just what's possible due to dynamic languages, whether that's because of the type system, or, more likely, meta programming. The benefit of meta programming compounds itself through libraries too. So not only is my code able to leverage it, but I can use libaries that leverage it and end up with User.find_by_name("leto") (as a classic, but certainly not singular, example)
r00fus 14y ago
> It's just not "cool". What a completely misunderstood view. Microsoft has earned the distrust of many many a coder through their cut-throat business tactics and complete disregard/disdain for other operating systems and platforms. Wake me up when I can run a MS stack for near-free in perpetuity... because that's what Microsoft is competing against in the startup world. Do you think Instagram or Twitter's architecture would have been possible without OSS?

archangel_one 14y ago

My thoughts exactly - even if he could code Hello World in 60 languages he couldn't know them in any meaningful sense. And in a spectrum that includes Python, COBOL, Lisp and Brainfuck, I would say that Java is like C#. It's quite a good language, but "nothing like it" is a bit over the top.

weavejester 14y ago

My guess is that the interviewer misheard him and he actually said "between 16 and 18 languages".

pavel_lishin 14y ago
Yup - they updated the article.

larrik 14y ago

This seems to be have been corrected in the article.