Is it worth learning Linq to SQL?

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Lenn

I want to learn new technologies available in .NET 3.5 that I will be able
to use in the up coming projects. Specifically, I am learning LINQ now (Linq
to objects, XML, etc) Now, as I am researching LINQ to SQL, and I am hearing
a lot of chatter that it's pretty much dead technology, that MS is
deprecating it in favor of Entity Framework. Is it true? It certainly is
something that MS done before, but I feel that LINQ to SQL didn’t even have a
chance. And besides EF is still in Beta, right?
So, should I bother learning LINQ to SQL, or go straight to EF. And would
any knowledge of LINQ to SQL be applicable to EF. Is EF just another
implementation of LINQ or is it totally different animal?
Any comments or links you could share on this topic?
 
EF is already out. But I highly recommend LINQ to SQL because it is a lot
"simpler" than EF so it's much easier to approach. While there probably
won't be much more added to LINQ to SQL, it's more than sufficient for many
kinds of data access strategies. There's not really much more to it than
LINQ to Objects - once you understand what's happening with the expression
tree and all. The syntax is pretty much the same since LINQ to SQL supports
just about every LINQ to Objects method.

Josh Einstein
 
EF is already out. But I highly recommend LINQ to SQL because it is a lot
"simpler" than EF so it's much easier to approach. While there probably
won't be much more added to LINQ to SQL, it's more than sufficient for many
kinds of data access strategies.
Click to expand...

The question is will this technology be around in a few years?
is it worth investing in it knowing that it wont be enhanced or even
supported in the future?
 
Well, it's rare that Microsoft removes any feature that has any significant
use unless they change platforms completely. Since LINQ to SQL is isolated
in its own managed assembly, barring some unforseen events, I doubt LINQ to
SQL will go away or change much from its current form anytime soon.

Josh Einstein
 
SQL is like the easiest language ever. It takes a few hours with a
good book to learn it. Once you understand the join syntax, the "group
by" functionality, and the data types you've got it. Much more
difficult to master are the various languages for stored procedures
(precompiled queries) provided by the various database vendors.
 
The question is will this technology be around in a few years?
is it worth investing in it knowing that it wont be enhanced or even
supported in the future?
Click to expand...

LINQ To SQL is much more accessible than the EF. For that reason alone LINQ
To SQL will be around for a long time.

LINQ To SQL has a many draw backs compared with EF but the advantages EF
brings are at the cost of simplicity. The fact is that LINQ To SQL does
most of what is needed by the most developers.

Note also that that there isn't much to learn about the DataContext of LINQ
to SQL and the rest of the skills being centered on the LINQ bit are
transferable to LINQ on EF anyway.

My advice is use LINQ To SQL (its not going to disappear into the FUD that
is 'unsupported') once you've got a handle on it take a look at EF to see if
its advantages warranty the added complexities.
 
A good book that I recently got is ASP.NET 3.5 Unleashed by Stephen Walther.
I learned so much from his 2.0 and 1.1 versions of the book that I'd never
have gotten started without them. Also, his books are great because they are
example based, so you actually get to see the complete code (I always hate
it when a book just shows you 3 lines of code and you're like "Well, how do
you use that function?" or "Should I use that method before or after doing
this other step?" or just so I can see one of the techniques for using
certain classes). He is also a very well respected author, and the book
covers virtually all parts of ASP.NET 3.5 and related classes (including
LINQ) in about as much detail as possible, anything more would be almost
impossible to do in a book unless you want a hard copy of the MSDN Library.
The book also comes with a CD with all code on it, in both C# and VB.NET. I
knew nothing about LINQ before reading about it in this book, but I feel I
now know all I need to until I come across that situation that you always do
at some point for pretty much any class other than the extremely simple
ones. If you want a book that is ONLY about LINQ, I don't have any
suggestions, but I honestly don't think they would have much more or be that
much more helpful than this one would anyway. Good Luck!
 
No, the book did not point me to this newsgroup, I have been using these
newsgroups for a while. I mentioned the book because it (and the previous
versions of it) have helped me so much. I'm sure there are details about
LINQ that the book does not mention, but I don't think there is such a thing
as a book that mentions EVERY detail. I'm also willing to admit that a book
that is only about LINQ might have a few more details, the reason I
mentioned this book is because from my experience, when learning a new
feature of ASP.NET (or one related to ASP.NET) that I have never used
before, this book does the best job of giving me a large amount detail
without confusing me in the process. Most other books that I have used
either made it hard to understand a technology I have never used and/or did
not give enough detail. This book gave me enough detail to start using it,
and once you are able to start using it, you can learn more the best way
possible: through hands-on experience. My opinion may differ from yours
about this book, but it is still the one I recommend. Good Luck!
 
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