You just learnt interfaces? Those are in Java, C++, Python (2.6+) and any other OO language you care to mention. I don't use C#, so I'm not sure what Linq is e

You just learnt interfaces? Those are in Java, C++, Python (2.6+) and any other OO language you care to mention. I don't use C#, so I'm not sure what Linq is exactly, but it seems to be similar to an ORM with baked in transactions. Lots of languages have ORM layers, and they will have some similarities with Linq. If I recall correctly, Erlang does this quite nicely with it's database system. Anyway, most of the techniques and pattens you learn will be widely applicable. Vendors will often claim that they are special (by cooking up new terms for old technologies), but it's usually just the same old features with a new sticker. .Net looks like it's innovating because it's new, but it's mostly pretty conservative. The whole "cross language platform" thing is cool, but that's it. Remember the lessons DCOM, COM+, and CORBA. Not all the new bandwagons are worth jumping on.