Nora Said:

Is .NET knowledge basically useless if you're looking for a developer job not writing business applications?

We Answered:

.NET programs require appropriate .NET software to be installed on the machine that runs it. This is because programs written in .NET languages are not compiled into native machine code. They are compiled into a form of bytecode and run through the CLR, which is basically the virtual machine component of the .NET system that handles the just-in-time compilation and execution of the code. Without this being installed on the machine running the .NET code, the program will not run. This is a big limitation on .NET programs. This will also prevent really low level code such as firmware or hardware controllers from using .NET.

Also, because .NET languages use a virtual machine type of program to run the programs, performance is not as good as it is for languages that are compiled into native code. When dealing with things such as state-of-the-art games and drivers, performance is critical. Things such as 3d graphics are better in other languages, if they are farily complex. However, I have seen .NET based 3d engines based on .NET frameworks.... so it can be done. However, I do not know what it's capabilities were and how it performed. Mathematical applications could vary, depending on what you were doing. If this was a program that did nothing except crunch numbers all day for very complex theories and simulations (such as folding@home), then efficiency would be important and .NET (while it would still work decently), would not be the best choice. However, if it was a tool to help complete a task, and not do the task itself (in other words, it wasn't running continuously 24/7 crunching numbers to solve something critical for the work), then you could probably use .NET languages without too much difficulty... but it would vary, depending on the program's purpose.

If you are a programmer, you should probably learn C++, even if you only do business apps, because C++ is a very common language in the industry. If you know C#, you should be able to learn the basics of C++ with a decent book. Also, hardware companies do sometimes use .NET to write utilities to help control their programs and hardware settings. I know ATI's Catalyst Control Center app is written in .NET.

Nicole Said:

When writing to a business asking if they have any jobs, is it okay to address the letter to the Manager?

We Answered:

Address it to hiring manager if there isn't a HR department.