While this question is not directly related to game programming, I couldn't think of a better place to get some information on the matter than on this community of programmers :) I've been wondering for a while, in light of recent advances in progamming languages and API's, what would be, presently, the best solution for someone who wishes to develop a Windows application (for example, a text processor, a browser, a torrent client, or anything sharing the same look-and-feel GUI elements as most Windows applications). And what is mostly used now days? I'm looking especially for a powerful and flexible up-to-date tool/language, that wouldn't pose many restrictions on the developer. I currently have some experience with C++, C#, Java and Visual Basic. I've tried a bit of VB6, Win32, WinForms and Swing development before too, but didn't study any of them thoroughly. Now I'm trying to know what would be the most restrictless choice, so that I can concentrate myself on learning that one. The recommendation doesn't need to be restricted to these languages, and I'm actually interested in knowing about any new and better solutions. Thanks in advance, Orpheus

Hello,

I've worked with C# and WinForms before, and it was indeed quick to get into, and easy to develop with. I'm wondering though, would C#/WinForms be a viable option for making Windows applications in a professional environment (with a software development team) and a valuable asset to have when applying for a job? What is mostly required/used by someone who works in that area?

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would C#/WinForms be a viable option for making Windows applications in a professional environment (with a software development team) and a valuable asset to have when applying for a job?

Yes.

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What is mostly required/used by someone who works in that area?

That depends very much on the industry and in many cases even the company you're applying to. It certainly will not hurt you to learn it.

Back before .NET, I've heard of a lot of studios using Visual Basic and dropping down into C++ for the bits that needed that extra boost; I suppose the equivalent thing these days would be using VB.NET and dropping down into C#, although C++ is still possible if you need it.
I think that might be the best bet; I don't know VB, but I'm fairly certain there must be some way to get the handle of a window or whatever else you might need to create that one advanced panel, and it saves you the hassle of writing a bunch of code to create all of the simple stuff. Unless your planned window is 80% "doing some advanced stuff here," I'd use VB to let you get to the advanced stuff ASAP.

Of course, if you want as much control as possible, C/C++ with MFC or something similar is your best bet, but it might be better to use the VB option and drop down where necessary rather than use it 100%. Again though, I'm not completely sure what VB offers in terms of getting the info needed for the C++ side of things, so look into that before deciding to go down that road for sure.