Just Like Riding A Bike..
on 04.17.05, 02:12pm in .net • comments (2)
Since switching groups at work, I’ve had two major changes occur: I’ve moved back into the role of developer and I’ve been spending way more time in unmanaged C++ rather than C#.
Having spent the last two years in .NET land, returning to "pure" Windows programming (Win32, COM, etc) has been a bit like remembering how to ride a bike. While I’ll be the first to admit that .NET had made my C++ a bit rusty, I’ve been having a blast getting back into the swing of things.
One thing that I’ve found rather interesting is that my opinion of .NET has/is changing a bit. Don’t get me wrong: I still think about what I can accomplish in C# with a minimal amount of code is just amazing and that for 80% of the solutions out there, it’s the best way to achieve results quickly. Personally, I simply don’t find the experience as fulfilling as writing a pure Windows application. I’m not sure why, perhaps it’s because it’s what I did for so long, or I’m glutton for punishment, but I found it to be an interesting observation I had this week.
JeffMc (April 17, 2005 @ 3:45 pm)
I had a similar experience going back to C++ from Java. Bit rusty.
Ralph (April 28, 2005 @ 12:10 pm)
It’s because it’s harder and you have to think more. The justification is that when you do it correctly, you can do stuff that you can’t do in managed code. But **usually** that’s a rationalization; truth is, harder is just more fun. Think of C++ as a really challenging NYT crossword puzzle. It’s puzzling that you like; being successful at the hard ones turns out to be more enjoyable.