.NET and C# are in trouble. Here is what I'd do.

Summary

In this video, the host discusses a tweet suggesting the .NET team should slow down their rapid release cycle to avoid exhausting developers. The conversation highlights the mixed community response, with some agreeing that the pace is too fast and others valuing the predictability. The host argues for a focus on improving .NET and C# adoption by addressing gaps in the framework, such as admin panels and security solutions, rather than constant syntax changes. They also propose extending the Long Term Support (LTS) cycle to six years for better enterprise support and to reduce the pressure of frequent updates.

Takeaways

• 😵‍💫 A .NET user suggested giving the .NET team a break after .NET 9 and C# 11 to alleviate the fatigue from constant updates.
• 🗣️ Immo Landwerth, a .NET program manager, disagreed, arguing that a predictable release schedule is beneficial.
• 🤔 The community's response was split, with some agreeing that the rapid pace of changes was exhausting, while others saw value in continuous updates.
• 🔄 The speaker believes there's an adoption problem with .NET and C# due to the frequent updates, which can be overwhelming for new learners.
• 🆕 C# continues to introduce new features in each version, but the speaker questions if these are truly aiding in the adoption of the language.
• 👶 The rapid release cycle can be particularly off-putting for beginners who feel they must learn a large number of new features each year.
• 🌐 Comparing .NET to other web frameworks, the speaker points out that .NET lacks certain built-in features that are standard in other ecosystems.
• 🛠️ The speaker suggests that .NET could benefit from more focus on providing out-of-the-box tools like admin panels for web projects.
• 🔐 For securing JSON APIs, .NET lacks a straightforward, community-supported solution like those available in other platforms, leading to reliance on commercial products or Azure services.
• 📅 The current support cycle for .NET is compared to Node.js, with the speaker arguing that .NET, as a paid product, should offer a better support story.
• 🛡️ The speaker proposes extending the Long Term Support (LTS) period for .NET to six years, providing additional security patches beyond the current three-year cycle.

Q & A

What is the main concern expressed by the person who tweeted about .NET and C#?

The main concern is that the rapid pace of .NET and C# updates is tiring for developers who are actually using the technology, and it might be counterproductive to adoption.

How did Immo Landwerth, a .NET program manager, respond to the tweet?

Immo Landwerth disagreed with the idea of slowing down updates, arguing that the predictability of the schedule is a significant feature.

What is the general sentiment of the community regarding the pace of .NET and C# updates?

The community's response was split, with some agreeing that the pace is exhausting, while others believe in the importance of regular updates for language evolution.

What does the speaker believe is a bigger problem with .NET and C# adoption?

The speaker believes that the adoption problem lies in the fact that some people are enjoying the tail end of their experience with .NET and C#, possibly due to the rapid release cycle and lack of stability.

What new features are mentioned for upcoming versions of C#?

C# 11 is mentioned to have features like file-local types, and C# 12 is hinted to include inline arrays and ref read-only parameters.

Why does the speaker think the current pace of C# updates might not be helping adoption?

The speaker thinks that the constant addition of new features every year might be overwhelming for new learners and could lead to a perception that they need to learn too much too quickly.

What are some examples of features that other web frameworks provide out of the box, according to the speaker?

The speaker mentions that frameworks like Django and Laravel come with built-in admin sites, which .NET and C# do not provide by default.

What does the speaker suggest Microsoft could be focusing on to improve .NET and C# as a web framework?

The speaker suggests that Microsoft could be focusing on creating out-of-the-box solutions like an admin panel that comes with a new web project.

What is the current support cycle for .NET, as mentioned in the script?

The current support cycle for .NET is that even-numbered versions receive Long Term Support (LTS) for three years, including patches.

Why does the speaker argue that .NET's support cycle should be longer than Node.js'?

The speaker argues that since organizations using .NET are likely paying for tools like Visual Studio or JetBrains Rider, they should receive better support than what is offered for free with Node.js.

What is the speaker's proposal to increase and safeguard the adoption of .NET?

The speaker proposes extending the LTS period to 6 years, providing an additional 3 years of security patches, and potentially extending the support window for existing LTS versions.