[OT] .NET vs. Java backend (was: Re: [fpc-devel] FPC Branches)

[Sven Barth]

Hi!

On 12.07.2010 11:59, Hans-Peter Diettrich wrote:
> Honestly, a .NET back-end is less useful than e.g. a Java back-end, and
> requires much work in the front-end for assembly compatibility ("uses").
> Next a new debugger-interface is needed, and a VCL.NET. All in all a
> very new project, that can inherit almost nothing from the current FPC :-(

Sorry for the OT, but why do you believe that a .NET backend is less 
useful than a Java one?

Both "environments" have a stack based intermediate language (.NET: CLR 
Java: Bytecode) and a class system resolving around a base object class 
type. Both use the concept of "namespaces" to identify classes (the .NET 
one is solely file name based while the Java one is directory and file 
based). Also the CLR is standardized while the Bytecode is not.

I personally don't think that neither one is really better, but I myself 
prefer .NET cause it was designed to be used by multiple languages (e.g. 
C#, Delphi Prism, F#, IronPython, etc).

Regards,
Sven