programming on linux

[Joseph Sinclair]

> 
> Ok... I'll try to avoid the whole Res....
> 
> Visual Basic 3,4,5, and 6. .Net v1.0 & v1.1, with Beta
> of v2.0.
> A little C++. I mostly stick to C# on .Net cause I
> hate the VB syntax. I've toyed with Java and am pretty
> good with javascript.
> I've used a little mySQL, but really know MS SQL
> Server in&out (version 6.5 to 2000)
> 
> I've done windows apps, web apps, and web services,
> and everything in between. I speak xml xsl, html,
> http, https, ftp, ssl, ftp/tls, ipc (some), rpc(some),
> com, dcom, remoting, serialization (binary & xml), and
> ... I don't really feel like typing everything and
> don't want to sound bragadocious.
> 
> I've been doing this for 11+ years and, I think, am
> pretty good at it. I've got street cred in the ms-dev
> world. 
> 
> I used to be an MCSE because I promised myself I
> would, but I got bored of it and didn't keep it up.
> 

1) You can use C# on Linux through the Mono project.  There's a lot of F/LOSS being done with Mono, so that might be an excellent place for you to start, since you would be able to leverage your existing skills.
2) Java is a breeze if you've used C#.  The standard library is huge, and growing, and the same language is great for web work via Servlets, JSP, and the rest of the J2EE API.  Some people don't like Java because the JVM is non-free, but the F/LOSS JVM projects like Kaffe, GNU Classpath, and Harmony are fast closing in on full implementations, so that's not likely to remain an issue for long.
3) As previously mentioned, XUL is a great combination of JavaScript and other technologies in the Mozilla browsers, so creating (or improving) a Firefox extension might be a good track to take.

4) You can probably earn about the same as you do now by using the skills you use now.  Any skill used to develop in Windows is also used to develop for Linux, just not always at the same places or for the same purposes.