Hi Terri,
Well said.
I'm assuming the discussion centers around PB Classic and not PB.Net since PB.Net uses the VS shell.
Disclaimer: I'm not VS expert by any stretch (yet) but I do use both environments daily. I suspect the VS experts Gimmy works with would have some rebuttal to a few of the suggestions. Here are a few I would be leery of mentioning (in my humble opinion of course).
Dynamic sizing or positioning of controls based on data can easily be controlled in XAML by specifying "Auto" as the width and/or height among other properties.
Any property can be modified dynamically at runtime in VS as long as it is a dependency property (which most are) via the binding mechanism in .Net.
To alternate the background color of a datagrid you add this property to your XAML: AlternatingRowBackground="LightBlue"
To make it alternate every other row's color you add this property in your XAML AlternationCount="2"
Not exactly 2 or 3 pages so I wouldn't make this argument.
I think SQL Injection can be a pro or con either way depending on how queries are written and what tools are used (LINQ, EF etc).
Minimal SQL creation can go either way too (Garbage In Garbage Out). If and ORM is being used it is probably creating the best (but probably most obfuscated) SQL.
The field formatting and validation is fast and easy in PB but I've found that the functionality in VS is much more powerful and extensible if using data annotations. The ability to create custom validations, use regex expressions, localizing error messages, and code sharing across server and client make it very powerful.
Regarding your negative experience with attracting PB talent we've actually seen just the opposite here of late. We've found it is much easier to find local PB talent than it was a year or two ago. This doesn't make it a negative for PB but a push.
The biggest and most important advantage PB has over VS is the reason it is still around and the reason we still use and support it. It is far and away the best and easiest tool for Rapid Application Development (Bruce's #4). IMHO All other reasons pale in comparison. I am an order of magnitude more productive in PB than VS. I've been doing PB a lot longer than VS but that is not the entire reason. I would surmise that if two equally skilled developers went head to head the PB guy/gal would win. I would also warn that if you lay down that gauntlet you better be ready to back it up.
Anyway just my 2¢
Mark
PS Too soon 