I've been developing Java EE for quite a while now. I've used WebLogic, Tomcat, Spring, and Hibernate extensively, so I have a mental model of what features are available and how things are developed and deployed.

The problem that I have with .NET is that I don't have a clear mapping of its features onto Java EE. Here's what I know so far:

Java EE -> .NET

Java -> C#

JAR -> DLL

WAR -> ? (deployment in general)

EAR -> ? (deployment in general)

Tomcat -> IIS web server

JSP -> ASP?

JDBC -> ODBC

JMS -> MSMQ

JTA -> Microsoft Transaction Manager

So much of the functionality that WebLogic handles appears to be dispersed throughout the Windows OS.

My confusion kicks in when I see the waves of books at Borders - VB.NET, ASP.NET, C#, etc. If I'm not a VB programmer, would it be possible to stick with C# and write enterprise apps that are the equivalent of what I'm used to with Java EE?

If there were a Top Three list of books to learn from, what would they be? The "Head First" series has certainly been successful for Java.

http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-C-Brain-Friendly-Guides/dp/0596514824/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224121193&sr=8-1

Equally well recommended for .NET learning? Thanks. - %