Is it bad to "think" in LINQ when the skill isn't transferrable outside C#?

Question

I use LINQ in my code all the time. I've gotten to the point where it just seems so natural to Group, Order, an organize a bunch of objects using the LINQ syntax that I struggle to think how I would do the same things without it.

I had never delved into the SQL-esque world before this, but I imagine many people who learned even the normal SQL syntax suddenly felt constricted by most normal programming languages abilities to wrangle complex object hierarchies?

Am I painting myself into a corner becoming reliant on LINQ to do my more complex tasks? It just feels so much more expressive than if I wrote plain C# code.

Is becoming dependent on the LINQ syntax in my day-to-day programming going to hurt me in the long run if I end up switching languages or frameworks where something like it isn't available?

Answer 1

Fortunately, no. The "LINQ" way of thinking is more properly understood as a "functional" way of thinking, and this is a highly transferable mindset.

Obviously when you move from language to language and framework to framework the syntax and framework methods will be different but the mindset is the same. The important skill that you have aquired is the ability to think in terms of sequences and functional pipelines that process those sequences.

Answer 2

Does it matter? Every language has its unique nice features. It's like saying "Will using braces in C# make it hard to transfer it to another non curly brace language?"

Answer 3

Instead of looking at your prospective future outside of C#, I would concentrate on what helps you get your work done today.

If that means using and becoming fluent with LINQ, so be it. As long as you're willing to learn and adapt in the future (just like today) it won't be that big of an issue.

Answer 4

Its not going to hurt you. I truly believe all modern languages are going to move to this syntax very shortly. Java is already moving in that direction, and other languages will follow with something similar. MS, for all of the bashing they take, were way ahead of the curve on this one. The wiped out a whole class of bugs related to temporary variables/arrays in terms of querying array objects. The benefits to this are enormous.

Answer 5

Yes, it will hurt you if LINQ to SQL is the only sql you know.

Answer 6

Yes, your concern is valid.

That is, when you get good at using any tool, you start to forget how to function well without the tool. You also get frustrated when that tool is not available.

For millions of years humans were able to feed themselves without the use of metal tools. They weren't miserable. Today very few know how to do that, and most are scared of what that would be like.

For tens of years humans wrote software without real-time interaction with a computer, e.g. punch cards. They weren't miserable. Today very few know how to do that. The idea of doing that sounds miserable to me.

If you become adept with Linq, you will miss it when it's not around. It's a great tool. As your skill with Linq grows, your skill of programming without Linq (which you aren't practicing) will become rusty.

In all the above cases, we have replaced a human skill with a tool + a new human skill. Each time, the idea of giving up the tool sounds scary. I believe there's always some value in exploring the older, lower-tech way of doing things, as it helps me become more well-rounded, but usually I'll pick the higher-tech way.

So, don't shy away from Linq, but do explore other ways of doing things, as part of your self-education as a programmer.

Answer 7

LINQ is a great thing. It will spread. In fact, the spread has already begun.

Answer 8

I find that understanding the logic behind it helps me feel better about using LINQ extension methods. If you can write your own Where or Group ..etc extension methods then there is no shame in using them.

Answer 9

If it could be equated to learning OO, I know people who have gone from C to an OO language and back to C and although they didn't have objects available, they tended to be able to use many techniques in a language without objects.

Could the same thing happen with LINQ?

Answer 10

I think it's important to understand what's going on behind the scenes of high-level abstractions like LINQ - otherwise you can have problems such as performance. Funnily enough our host's latest blog post is on this subject.

So if "thinking in LINQ" means forgetting this, which I suspect it does for some developers (present company excepted), it could be considered "bad".