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I’m a beginner in programming and got a very good study material for Visual Studio 2010. My question is whether this version of the package is too outdated compared to 2013. For now, I’m only interested in learning the C# language for developing ERP systems.
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You plan to use VS 2010 material and install and use VS 2013?
If so, it is not to be so problematic. Of course they are different, but essentially they do the same thing. You will have to adapt. Some things will look a little different. But you can adapt, right? If you can’t, if the only way to learn is to follow your material’s cake recipe, then the difference between versions will be the least of your problems.
In this case there is the advantage of being able to use the Visual Studio 2013 Community which is the old Professional that Microsoft provided for free.
Today is already to think about VS 2015 or 2017.
If you are installing and using VS 2010 to follow the study material faithfully, then there is no problem. Of course you won’t have some newer tools in 2013, but so what? You’re learning, it will take years to learn everything you need. You can learn the latest versions later.
But I will point out that the Visual Studio is just a tool. It helps to have productivity, but it’s not even necessary to code in C# and use . NET.
If you think that the best way to study C# programming is to study how Visual Studio works, you will have problems.
The most important thing is to learn the language and then the basic language library contained in the .NET. Understand the workings of every platform on the . NET (not every library) that has important specifics is more important than learning any tool that helps programming.
But before that, learning to program, understanding the concepts adopted in software development as a whole, is the foundation for everything. I don’t know how much experience you already have in the field, but if you’re still starting out, forget about technologies for now.
The C# compiler that is normally used with Visual Studio 2010 is in version 4. Theoretically it is possible to use a newer compiler, but I have never tried and I don’t know how hard it is to do this. Anyway Visual Studio would not have all the facilities that can help the most modern versions. But nothing very important.
Already Visual Studio 2013 has the compiler of C# 5. You can use other older versions if you wish, without any harm.
The basic difference from C# 4 to C# 5 is the use of asynchronous blocks via keywords await and async. Most of your learning won’t need that. Only when you are well advanced will you be able to understand and create useful codes with this concept.
There is also the information attributes feature of calling methods, which is something of very specific utility and will also only need when you are dominating everything else.
There’s a slightly bigger change in C# 6 that comes with Visual Studio 2015. But don’t worry about it. What matters is that there will always be a new version, there will always be something new for you to learn.
Another important point is that there is Visual Studio 2013 Community which is well complete for most needs and is totally free.
The normal VS 2010 is to use . Net 4.0, although you can choose a profile for other versions. This is something you will learn from the platform.
By default the . Net used in VS 2013 is 4.5.1, but nothing prevents you from using 4.0 or another version. Simultaneously.
Some of the main library news in version 4.5.1:
As you can see, nothing very expressive. Nobody knows everything at all . NET, so it doesn’t matter. Decorating library is counterproductive, so it’s even better to leave the details for later.
Anyway, no study material, no matter how good it is, will teach you everything you have to learn.
VS 2010 (version 10.0) and VS 2013 (version 12.0) have a very different graphical interface, based more on the look of Windows 8. Even when it is not running on it. There is even much controversy whether it became better or worse.
The amount of new and improved tools, especially if you consider product lifecycle features and not only in more direct software development, are so large that the answer would need a book chapter.
But that’s not important. Like I said before, it’s just a tool, which helps a lot, but it’s the least important part of what you have to learn. And again I say that there’s so much to learn in it, it’s going to take so long to learn everything, it doesn’t matter which version you’re using. Just don’t use a very old version.
All these new and improved tools are great if you know very well how to code in C#, have the domain of . NET and other related technologies. Without this, the tools (or even the old ones, but especially the new ones) are useless.
I would particularly use the newer version even having an older material, although I would also look for newer material. But note that I can handle anything I have on hand. Not everyone can make the necessary adaptation when they find an icon or a name different from the one in the study material, when the position or color of elements is different. Of course this type of adaptation will be necessary for any professional developer.
Nor will I recommend anything because this is not Sopt’s goal. I gave you subsidies to decide on your own.
No matter what you will do with C#, ERP, scientific application, game, etc. The initial path is the same.
I don’t know what study material you have, but a very well-structured, conceptualized book that is really didactic is the path. If the stuff you have is apostille, tutorial, videos, loose things, it will probably start wrong.
Bigown, thank you for your dedication in answering me. After these explanations, I think I will follow your suggestion to make use of VS2013. Only if the study complicates with this version will I turn to VS2010 - which I hope will not happen. 
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These short videos usually don’t teach anyone to program. So it doesn’t matter if you’re using a new version or an old one. It’s just an introduction to the basics. If you find that dozens of hours of videos will teach you more than 1% (which is already too much) of what you need to develop systems, you will be left with an extremely deficient training.
Well, I will only comment on what you said after you finished the study. Other programmers praised these video lessons. Anyway, what is your tip for a non-disabled training?
Complete books. Can you read reasonably in English? It’s ideal. There are some translations of good books but in Portuguese they are much worse. Far from saying that it is a complete training, but books with between 1000 and 2000 pages already help well. I didn’t follow them because I haven’t been a beginner for a long time, but the people usually indicate Deitel’s C# How to Program and Head First (well focused on teaching) which in Brazil is called Use Your Head. After that you will need to go for more advanced books, and on other subjects. You have to read all the classics of computing.
I have already passed two Microsoft exams in English, so I think I can say that I can read reasonably texts in that language. I imagined that you would say books. These two that you indicated, I came across them in my researches. After we finish with the video lessons, I will definitely go for them. Thanks for the tips.
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The list of differences is extensive, so we recommend trying to adapt the lessons from VS2010 to the latest version and if something is not possible to do, then you should create a more specific question. If it is outdated: YES... but it is not so much, that can not be used as learning material.
– Miguel Angelo
Thank you for the answer. That which you said also applies to C# language commands or they remain the same in 2013 version?
– Ricardo Rodrigues Moreira
In fact, the ideal would be not even worry about Visual Studio. It is not what makes programs work. It’s just a tool that helps be productive. If you try to learn VS, your knowledge will be lame. The language is the most important, then the .Net. And then the difference is minimal. Learning the IDE as the most important component is the way to learn everything wrong.
– Maniero