Obstacles To Going Into .NET Application Development
July 18th, 2010If you look online you will notice that most small companies and web sites use PHP as their main development platform. For bigger companies and corporations there is a higher ratio of .NET websites. This can be attributed to some of the obstacles of going into .NET application development. These obstacles include, but are not limited to hardware expenses, software expenses and the fact that it requires a bit more to go into .NET development. Let’s look at some of the obstacles in detail.
Hardware Expenses
If you look at most online hosting companies they readily provide you with a platform for developing PHP websites. With .NET applications you are bound to use server platforms supporting .NET. Which is more or less limited to Microsoft’s own server platforms. The licensing cost is immense unless you are a company with the resources to do so. That is probably not the main reason why online hosting companies choose not to provide a .NET platform for their customers, but more about that later.
Software Expenses
The beauty of PHP is that you can easily start developing for the platform using just a simple text editor. While that is also possible in .NET it is not advisable to do so. That means you need a .NET software development suite. Fortunately Microsoft makes “Express” versions of their development suites available for free. These software packages work just fine if your main goal is simply to get into .NET development. However, they do lack the more advanced features of the commercial versions. Those versions come at a cost though, and for single individuals and small companies that cost may simply be too high.
The Need For Trained Programmers
Before I get into all kinds of trouble let me first say two things.
- Professional PHP programmers are usually well-trained highly skilled individuals.
- It is possible to learn .NET application development without formal training.
Having said that, few companies (if any) will hire .NET application developers without any proof of formal training. That often means that these individuals come at a higher start up price.
This is also the reason, combined with hardware costs, that so few online hosting companies provide a platform for .NET development for their customers. The cost simply isn’t worth the effort when so few people are interested in the opportunity.
If you don’t mind these obstacles then I do recommend that you consider going into .NET application development. Especially if you already have experience with object oriented languages such as Java or C++.
Any ideas?
