A Dianne by Any Other Name
This month readers weigh in on Mort and switching to C#.
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A Dianne by Any Other Name
As a longtime VB developer, I read Patrick Meader's column, "A Mort by Any Other Name …" (Editor's Note, June 2008), with great interest. I agree that the overall attitude toward VB developers is reflected in the persona. But let's not stop at coming up with a new persona name; it's time for the developers to reflect the audience as well. I vote that the next developer persona should be Kathy, or Jen, or maybe even Dianne!
Dianne Siebold, posted online
Meader's column was interesting, but also another reminder of how VB programmers have been treated for a long time.
Too little credit is given to the ways in which VB's natural, English-like syntax helps you get the job done. One of my employees recently switched his major to computer science. His first class required some simple C programs that he wrote in Visual C++ with VS 2008. I found it interesting that even the VS 2008 IDE often laid out his code improperly, inserting a stray semicolon here, dropping a brace there, and so on.
At least VB looks like English. Our VB applications are in use worldwide, and we manage to pay the bills without knowing what { } means, and without having to remember if we have to put a semi-colon at the end of this line or the next one to make the program work logically.
Rick Lederman, received by e-mail
I suspect someone has mentioned this already, but it should be pointed out that "Mort" is French (or other Latin roots) for "Dead." No doubt, there is some subconscious derogatory energy being transmitted and possibly received in that regard!
Steve Fitzgerald, received by e-mail
Reluctantly Adopting C#
Patrick Meader's editorial on the would-be first-class status of VB strikes a nerve (Editor's Note, "Is VB Least Among Equals," April 2008). There's no way Microsoft can convince us that it regards VB as a first-class programming language, given the overall lack of support for VB in all Microsoft's new technologies that matter. As a VB programmer for more than 20 years, I have found myself gradually moving into C# (reluctantly). If Microsoft is serious about VB, it has a funny way of showing it.
Sayomi Olawumi, received by e-mail
About the Author
This story was written or compiled based on feedback from the readers of Visual Studio Magazine.