ASP.NET

<p><em>Daniel, thanks for the big recommendation about Code Complete. Do you know of any other such foundation texts (besides pragmatic programmer and clean code)?</em></p>

<p>I'll have to think about that one. A lot of what's on my bookshelf is specific to a particular language, framework, or OS. I will say that it pays to look at existing frameworks and study how the designers did things. You'll learn various design patterns and see different solutions to similar problems, getting a feel for how well each works out in the real world.</p>

<p>Honestly, the combination of reading Code Complete and really learning my first two OOP frameworks (this is back in the early 90's) advanced my programming dramatically. It's funny because both of those frameworks are now dead (Prograph's class library and Metrowerks CodeWarrior PowerPlant), but the design patterns and principles are the same. For example, I didn't so much learn .NET as I just opened a reference and started using it.</p>

<p><em>Daniel, I think you would make a good teacher.</em></p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>In just a few hours, I was able to put together some PHP scripts to work on my site and other sites I maintain. They were easy to figure out and test and didn't mess up my workstations at all. PHP is supported by the host I and my clients use. .NET...well, that's another matter.</p>

<p>When I look at my PHP and Perl code, I think: "It was very quick and good when I wrote it and helped keep my job, but it won't keep my job now".</p>

<p>When I look at my C++ (or even python), I think: "Too bad I got fired for taking time to write all this beautiful reusable code."</p>