ASP.NET vs SharePoint - which one is better for web developers?

Question

I have less information about share point (only basic info). Microsoft released SharePoint for web developers. Microsoft also said SharePoint has compatibility with other .NET t

Answer 1

I am a Sharepoint Developer... And let me say that I wish it was just ASP.NET! That would be great... It brings with it it's own paradigms which are pretty complicated.

ASP.NET and Sharepoint are 2 'different' technologies. Sharepoint is mostly built with ASP.NET, and delivers ASP.NET pages to a user.

You can use either VB.NET or C# with Sharepoint.

In my opinion, Sharepoint development is only quicker if you are planning on using it's in-built lists, user management etc. Though these do take time to learn. The cool thing about sharepoint is that you can develop web parts, and re-use these web parts on multiple pages throughout the installation.

Microsoft continues to develop both ASP.NET and sharepoint because they are two different beasts, with ASP.NET pages being deliverable through Sharepoint.

As to which is best for you, you haee to make that call. Do you need Sharepoint? Or would a pre-built CMS such as DotNetNuke be better? Or even creating your own site with Windows credentials management so you can use SSO (Single Sign On).

It really depends on what you want to get out of your install. Sharepoint is expensive, and developers for Sharepoint are also expensive because of the specialist knowledge.

As a developer... (I hope my boss isn't watching!!) I much prefer to build things from scratch than to use SP, but that's my job...