True that C# is owned by Microsoft, but isn't Java ultimately owned by Sun? AFAIK, there is no ECMA or ANSI standard Java. Is there one? If so, I stand corrected. Sure, MS could change C# in spite of the standard, but I'm not sure why they'd bother to even submit it to a standards committee if that was their intent. MS is also making some additions to the language in C# 2.0. I haven't really dug into the differences that are going to come out in 2.0, but my understanding is that there's going to be somre pretty cool stuff coming down the pike - generics (similar to templates in C++), iterators, partial types, anonymous methods, static classes and other things I'm forgetting.
I have a vague familiarity with various coding from friends and past "screwing around" so it's interesting for me to read about it from different casual sources. I wouldn't say I'm learning in the sense you're thinking of, but I try to pick up things here and there that I feel are valuable now and could possibly be in the future as well.
Hell, I'm an electrical engineer by training. Your descriptions sounds a lot like how I originally learned how to program (before I took the SW engineering courses). It's how I pick up new languages today, at any rate. So, yeah - you are learning to write code.
I've followed the developments of Longhorn with some interest as I know I will be supporting/administering it in some shape or form. Firstly, Windows is definitely in need of a new File system and I was surprised that Apple did not mention a change to their FS in this weeks WWDC. People are already talking about the bloatware issue. Does a OS really need over 2Gb memory, 5Ghz processor and a Tb of hard disk? By the time Longhorn is released this will probably be the norm anyway. DVD downloads over 10Mb broadband links would justify the disk space and the gaming industry will continue to push processing power and memmory requirements at a steady rate. I'm pleased to see that MS will be discontinuing support for legacy hardware. USB, Bluetooth and Ethernet (wired or wireless) should provide all the connectivity a PC needs over the coming years. What is Longhorn's competition? Mac OS Tiger and Linux 3.0 Kernel most probably. Linux will continue to eat into market share in developing countries and in non-profit area. Aside from that Windows will continue to dominate the Business desktop and the home user multimedia PC. Security is a huge issue now. The recent Spyware and virus's must be embarrassing Microsoft. How will Longhorn deal with that? I think Microsoft's biggest challenge will be the portable market. With PDA's like Blackberry, gaming handhelds like Sony's and smarter cell phones all running OS's of some kind they will face more competition here than anywhere else.
By the time Longhorn comes out, which is most likely 2007 now, the Mac OS will be far ahead of Tiger. I see Linux becomig more mainstream by then as well. Right now the biggest competition to Longhorn is itself.
The biggest issue is the number of business that have committed to Microsoft's operating systems in the enterprise. I have no idea what the actual number of installed machines running NT, 2k, XP or 2k3 is, but it has to be millions, if not 10s of millions. And there's a helluva lot of business software already out there specifically written for those machines, a lot of customized specifically for an individual business. I'd think that if Microsoft really screws the pooch on Longhorn, they'll still have at least a few years head start on the competition in the corporate PC world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Longhorn That's desktop computing. Servers are another story. I guess partly through the CLI/bytecode and just-in-time compiler/virtual machine. Better security will come through better support of multiuser and permissions. And will there still be the monstrosity that is the registry? Microsoft CE is competing in a fragmented market, where the margins are much lower and Microsoft can't leverage it's desktop dominance. I don't even think CE makes a profit. Embedded systems are a completely different beast. For example, CE uses a completely different kernel, and licensees of Windows CE can now modify and redistribute changes to shared source code.