[Happyhour]

I'm still deep in the learning process but I am aspiring to freelancing and I've come across a potential problem: what IDE/compiler should I use for .Net development? I'm concerned about any legal issues using pirated/limited license software to churn out products. What I would like to use is VS2010, mostly because that's what I've been learning with (express ver anyway) but the price tag is a little steep. I've been looking into Mono, but I'm getting nervous about compatibility as there are some issues and differences between VS source and Mono source. I understand that some (if not all) clients like to have the source provided with the actual product and I don't want to get stuck in a situation where my code will not build on their end because they are using VS2010 or something else.

So, tl;dr:
Should I sell a kidney and buy VS2010 or pursue alternatives?

[Happyhour]

Ahh, posted too soon, found out commercial use for express editions is fine. Link if anyone's interested: http://social.msdn.m...a9-2adb83e1aa82

Still though, I'm interested in hearing what everybody uses for their own freelancing jobs.

[111027]

Depends. For the compiler, i use GCC. As for the IDE, i use Code::Blocks. Though sometimes i use Notepad++. Sometimes still, i ditch all of those and pursue something as bizarre as the Borland Turbo C++ compiler, when i write applications for 16-bit machines. All depends on the job, i guess.

[macosxnerd101]

We have a ton of which IDE threads in the respective subforums. I'm going to close this one.