Want to try .NET -- Netduino or Panda?

I want to try .NET programming. Should I get a Netduino or a Panda II?

Their specs look almost identical. They both claim to be pin-compatible with Arduino. Panda has some extra digital I/O and an SD card slot. They're both 3.3v chips. Am I missing anything? Does one have better support, better community, or better collection of libraries?

Sorry to ask here, but I can't go to their forums and get an unbiased answer.

http://www.netduino.com/netduino/
http://www.ghielectronics.com/catalog/product/256

Sorry to ask here, but I can't go to their forums and get an unbiased answer.

What makes you think you'll get one here? Or, even an informed one?

I have a netduino. When I have issues to talk about with it, I go to the netduino forum, not the Arduino forum.

It seems to me more likely that if you ask questions on a forum that is related to one of the devices you are considering that you'd get better answers than on a forum that is NOT related to either of the devices.

Kind of like asking on a Chevy forum if you should get a Honda or a Toyota. Of course, the answer is no.

I want to try .NET programming.

Do you want just to learn the .NET (C# language) then you could download the Microsoft Express compiler to get started.

If you want to do Arduino alike .NET I have some experience with the FEZ. What I disliked was the relative complexity to get the programming environment up and running. And upgrading was also labor intensive. On the positive side the multitasking and class libraries of .NET makes "life quite easy" when programming "blink without delay" apps, every task its own thread and timing. The FEZ had some incompatibility with the ethernetboard, thats why it is currently collecting dust :frowning:

The Panda II has an SDcard on board, and a RTC, that is usefull for many apps. Furthermore the CPU speed is higher (72 vs 48 MHz) and the extra IO lines are allways easier to use than through some shield. The NETduino is nice but imho it is afaik (almost) the same as an UNO so there is no added value using it.

In short go for the PANDA II ,

Their Ethernetshield looks nice too - http://www.ghielectronics.com/catalog/product/261

PaulS:
Kind of like asking on a Chevy forum if you should get a Honda or a Toyota. Of course, the answer is no.

I think his point is that if he asked if he should get a Honda or a Toyota in one of their own forums, he'd get an answer biased toward one of his options. Here, he might be told no, but he's also more likely to get an honest answer than fanboyism.