Back from C# to Java

I wanted to write a quick post about my move back from C# to Java.

In 2016 I chose to use C# as the language for a system I was developing. The release of .Net core prompted this move. The key benefits I expected from C# were:

• Higher productivity
• Ability to generate native executables - unfortunately, this did not materialize as it seems the AOT functionality in .Net Core was not a priority on server platforms
• Easier integration with external C libraries
• More memory efficient implementation due to support for primitive types in containers, Struct types etc.

Apart from the disappointment with AOT compilation, C# met my expectations. So then why move back to Java?

Well, primarily because of the Java eco-system. Of course Java has improved significantly in terms of developer productivity since Java 8. It even has variable declarations with type inference now. However what sets Java apart is the huge eco-system for server side development, largely because of Apache and Spring projects. With .Net Core I struggled even with basic stuff such as application logging. Maybe this has changed now, but .Net Core 1.0 didn't have any standard way of logging which meant I had to roll out my own.

One thing I am not convinced about is the proliferation of 'async/await' style programming in C#. It just seems wrong that your program will be converted to a state machine. I think if this has to be done, then the approach adopted by Go is better. Anyway, I am digressing.