It all started in 1993, when I first installed the first web server for the company I was working for at that time. I learnt how to use Perl, SQL (Sybase and Ingress). I built the first rudimentary web interfaces towards a back-end database. Mosaic was the browser to use at that time, until Netscape came out.
Parallel to my adventures in web development I also started to learn PowerBuilder, which uses a Visual Basic alike scripting language. I developed a few database applications with PowerBuilder and then the company decided to move to an IBM Lotus Notes environment (Domino didn’t have it’s name at that time yet). I was -very- sceptic. I didn’t like the interface, I didn’t get the concepts.
So they decided to send me to Lotusphere in Nice, France. In that week I was converted. I saw the light. It all made so much sense! LotusScript was something I felt comfortable with, as it also is a Visual Basic variant. It didn’t take a long time before I was writing and maintaining Notes database/applications.
And then I came across a book from Bob Balaban (not the actor) called Programming Domino 4.6 with Java.
That changed my view of Domino completely. I start to learn Java by just working my way through the book. I loved it!
I went to visit a ‘The View’ conference in London, where Bob was on stage (it was the conference where they talked about ‘it goes to 11′, for those who might have been there) and as from that conference on he is my official ‘All-Time-Guru’ 
The little things he shared with us about the inner workings of the LotusScript parses in Domino, the way he came up with Object model in Domino (yes, as far as I know he’s responsible for that), they where just great to know.
I continued exploring Java, and more and more outside of the context of Domino.
Then a few years ago, I acquired a Pocket PC. Java not being the most supported runtime on those machines I went for the Microsoft offerings to develop little tools that ran on my little helper. In the Autumn of 2004 podcasting was taking off and I decided to start to write my podcast client. The question I asked myself at that time was: which environment, Java or .NET? As I knew Java already and .NET was mainly a new environment to me, I went for .NET.
It was an eye opener to me. I was productive in a few days! Given my Java knowledge, AND the fact that I felt comfortable with the Microsoft tooling and the way you build user interfaces with them it made me enjoy my coding experience so much! In my opinion Java still doesn’t do it when it comes to user interface (okay, okay… Eclipse is a very well built application with a good and easy to use UI which looks great), but on average I think Java is a great back-end tool, but not for the front-end.
I loved the integration (traditionally a strong point with Microsoft technology, and also a big debated point with Microsoft technology) in .NET. I totally love Visual Studio .NET. It makes me feel very productive. Client applications, web applications, and especially the built in Help.
If you search the Help database, it will search locally, online in MSDN but (and that’s where the great value comes in) also in the so-called Codezone Community online. The Codezone Community is a set of (non-Microsoft )web sites publishing articles about .NET technology. The fact that you can search all these sources with one query is just unbelievably powerful.
So, do I dislike Java? Absolutely not. I use it daily in my work and I like it a lot. But I prefer .NET, because it makes me so much more productive.
You can start playing around with .NET development right now, for free. Just download the free available and full featured express editions of the Microsoft tools at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/
So concluding I could say that it’s all because of Bob Balaban that I like .NET so much. Which is ironic in a way given the fact that he works for IBM (again)…