Two Views of Development

I hate religion. Not any one religion in particular, mind you just the entire idea that there is anything in life that should be placed beyond question. Even worse than this, in my humble opinion, is uncontrolled idealism.

So, then, what can any of this have to do with .NET? Well, in short, this month I have had an epiphany, the crux of which is:

The average .NET developer is a pragmatist and a technology agnostic
The average Java developer is an idealist and a technology zealot

The initial seed for my realization was planted during dinner with our publisher, Fuat Kircaali, after a chance encounter at the recent ApacheCon conference in Las Vegas. I was there to talk about (religious zealots, prepare to be shocked) the great experiences that I have had working with some Java software as a developer for Expand Beyond. One story that Fuat related over dinner has stuck in my mind ever since...

Apparently, in the early days of planning this magazine several influential "Java advocacy" groups campaigned strongly with SYS-CON for them not to publish this magazine! "Bill Gates is the devil incarnate," they argued, "and .NET is the latest weapon in his war on the One True Platform: Java."

They believe in Java, you see. Not in the way that you or I believe in .NET, though. We believe that .NET is a tool that can greatly enhance the ways in which we do our jobs. As a result, we can:

Spend more time with friends and family
Earn more money
Help achieve our employers' visions

If Java ever managed to truly deliver more than .NET on these three things, are there any among us who wouldn't instantly jump ship? Of course not, because we .NET enthusiasts are, by and large, pragmatists, not idealists.

To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, the average .NET developer asks "what can this platform do for me and my company," whereas a Java developer is more likely to ask "What can my company and I do for Œthe community' with this platform?" Perhaps this is why Microsoft and most .NET-based companies continue to flourish in an economy where Sun and many Java-based companies struggle just to remain afloat.

And Now for Something Completely Different...
Now that I've shared my recent epiphany with you, it's time to introduce our theme for this month. Those of you who are familiar with my published works and activities will instantly recognize it as one that is near and dear to my heart: .NET mobility. In general terms, this boils down to two main technologies: Microsoft's Mobile Internet Toolkit and the .NET Compact Framework.

For the Mobile Internet Toolkit, Christopher Frenz has cooked up a great article on how to create custom controls. On the Compact Framework side, first Roman Smolgovsky's article will show you how to tap into your enterprise systems from mobile devices via the miracle of XML Web services. Then, Dan Fox and Jon Box have taken over the reins of my regular .NET mobility column to continue the tradition of bringing you all the latest news in the Mobile .NET space.

Most important in this issue, however, I must draw your attention to the first article in Jason Whittington's new column "Managed Space." This column will walk readers through all the intricacies of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI), explaining everything you have ever wanted to know about what goes on "under the hood" in .NET!

Finally, Randy Cornish's "Training Corner" column is also new to these pages this month. In this space, he'll keep you abreast of all the latest exams in Microsoft's certification programs and how to pass them.

All in all, we're pretty confident that you'll find this issue of .NET Developers Journal to be the best issue yet. As always, please contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns at derek@sys-con.com.

Author Bio
Derek Ferguson is editor-in-chief of .NET Developer's Journal and author of the book Mobile .NET (Apress). He is also chief technology evangelist for Expand Beyond Corporation (www.xb.com), a worldwide leader in mobile software for enterprise management. derek@sys-con.com