I have seen a lot of debate about VB.NET and C# and which one is "better". Before I started coding in C# I had some prejudice about it, but it’s interesting to see how my viewpoint has in some cases changed, and in others not changed after making the switch.

My viewpoint before switching over:

• .NET languages are as MS put it a "lifestyle choice".
• Many C# programmers think a little too much of themselves, projecting an elitist status as if a VB.NET developer knows nothing about OOD/OOP, design patterns and are just script kiddies.
• Case sensitivity within a language is moronic, inelegant and causes ambiguity.
• VB.NET is a very expressive language, like reading a book whereas C# looks like a bunch of ugly symbols.
• And what’s with that stupid semi-colon anyway??

My viewpoint after switching over:

• I still think it’s a lifestyle choice. I’m sure some C# purists will probably say I "don’t know enough about C#" or "that sounds like something a VB programmer would say". The power of the .NET framework is, in my opinion, expressed well in both languages except for a few things here and there. Especially now with the release of v2.0 it’s not about whether or not you use a particular language syntax, it’s really about knowing how to develop .NET applications and about programming and design principles.
• I still think some C# programmers think too much of themselves. I do realize however that the majority of VB.NET programmers come from the VB6/VBScript world, a world I am from. Many of those individuals carry a lot of baggage with them and do not have a good grasp of OO, design patterns, etc and are just not skilled developers. Many of them are the script kiddie type because it was so easy to pound out code in those languages, didnt require a whole lot of skill. But don’t judge a book by its cover. I think there are a lot of developers who came from that world who have embraced the principles, now present in the .NET framework (Not just a particular language syntax), that Java and C++ programmers have practiced and enjoyed for years.
• I've not noticed the case sensitivity in C#… In fact in cases where I have not had VS prettying up my VB code I manually format my code anyway. Not even an issue. Ambiguity is definitely a possibility but I think a good developer would avoid that for clarity.
• I actually now like all those "ugly symbols" over the expressive and verbose VB syntax… Very strange because that was one of my biggest prejudices aside from case sensitivity. It’s just a lot simpler and once you get used to it it’s not hard to read. If you are only familiar with the expressive syntax of VB it is hard to follow. I feel like I have much more flexibility over how I structure my code. Even going back to do maintenance on VB.NET code is less than enjoyable now that I have been working with C#.
• Ok, the semi-colon is a little annoying at first but you get to the point where you don’t even think about it. It’s actually very nice in instances where you have a large string literal or a long line of code.

Bottom line is, "...just listen to your heart. That's what I always do". Dont be caught up in the hype that coding in VB.NET makes you a script kiddie. But I would seriously recomend, if you are a VB.NET developer who has not learned C#, to at least give it a try. You might be very surprised at how much you like the syntax over VB.