VB vs VB.NET

[Fountain of knowledge]

a lot of articles here flame the .NET architecture. Especially VB
(classic) programmers saying how crap it is and that Microsoft has
butchered the language. There are also a lot of articles asking
whether or not they should make the move to VB.Net from VB6.
The problem with these articles, especially the flamers, is that they
all overlook one important point. VB6 (and anything older) is not a
DEAD language. There will be more more updates, changes or suppport
from Microsoft regarding this. They are now focusing on .NET. I
would not be surprised with the release of Longhorn (or maybe until
Blackcomb) that an application written and compiled in VB6 while cease
to execute on the new OS's.
Why fight the changes? There are people saying that they will never
upgrade and will always write in VB6. But isn't that like saying that
the'd never ditch QBasic when MS discontinued it? Techology moves on.
What MS is doing is providing exciting new platforms for us to
develop applications on. Yes the language has changed, and you might
not like the changes because it requires you to learn something new,
but ultimately it is worth it.

And before the flaming starts, because it will, there is always
someone who can't provide a constructive argument, I am a competent
VB6 programmer who has not yet made the move but I plan on doing so
soon, just when I have more time.

i would be interested to hear of good and bad experiences of people
going .NET as it would help be with my experience.

And one other point. If we draw comparisions with how human language
develops it raises an interesting point. Human language (spoken or
written) constantly changes and develops (upgrades?) new words are
added and old ones (features?) are forgotten. English now is very
different from how it was 300 years ago. BUT, look at Latin. It
hasn't changed in hundreds of years at all. Simply because no-one
uses it anymore. Is it worse or better for that? In my opinion,
worse. Languages need to evolve and stay dynamic, just like computer
programming languages. Of course, it is never as drastic or quick
with human lanagues...

 

[CJ Taylor]

Thank you for posting to the community.

 

[William Ryan eMVP]

I would be hard pressed to believe any skilled VB6 programmer that learns
..NET would say that MS has butchered the language. For one thing, Microsoft
has bent over backwards and every other direction to ensure backward
compatibility..so if you want to stay old school you can. Heck you don't
even have to turn on Option Strict if you don't want to.
And just take a look at the adoption rates among the really elite VB6
programmers. If MS had butchered the language, wouldn't guys like Appleman
and Balena have picked up on this and maybe tipped everyone off to it?
Heck, Francesco and Dan have done a lot of writing on this subject..
Jeffrey Richter even wrote a book on it...Yes, that Jeffrey Richter. I
don't recall him even acknowledging VB6's existence (just kidding).

As far as I'm concerned, .NET is beyond cool. If the lidites want to keep
regsvr32 everything, using Variants and 1 based arrays, unstructured
exception handling, objects that always exist and don't need instantiated
more power to them..but I certianly don't understand why they'd want to.

 

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

* (e-mail address removed) (Fountain of knowledge) scripsit:

all overlook one important point. VB6 (and anything older) is not a
DEAD language. There will be more more updates, changes or suppport
from Microsoft regarding this.

Are you sure about that? VB6 /will/ die soon, because it's based on
technologies which are not state-of-the-art.

Why fight the changes? There are people saying that they will never
upgrade and will always write in VB6.

Mhm... There is no successor to VB6. There is only a new programming
language called Visual Basic .NET which doesn't have much in common with
VB Classic.

What MS is doing is providing exciting new platforms for us to
develop applications on.

VB6 was an exciting platform too. And IMO it's still the more exciting
programming language. I use mostly VB.NET and VB6 because the syntax is
similar, but I don't see VB.NET as a "new" VB6.

Yes the language has changed, and you might
not like the changes because it requires you to learn something new,
but ultimately it is worth it.

IMO it isn't. .NET doesn't provide more possibilities to VB6
programmers. It makes common tasks harder, that's the point.
Hopefully, VB.NET Whidbey will bring back features I was missing in
VB.NET "1.0" and re-introduce real RAD as known from VB6.

Just for clarification: I use both, VB.NET and VB, and I like both of
the languages.

 

[CJ Taylor]

Hypocrite...

I seem to remember a common resposne from you mr. Wagner on not feeding
trolls...

I think this would define a troll.. =)

-CJ

Second of all... he obviously has no knowledge of .NET or VB6, why argue?

Ahh... CJ has learned...

 

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

I seem to remember a common resposne from you mr. Wagner on not feeding
trolls...

I am not sure that the OP is a troll.

I think this would define a troll.. =)

Second of all... he obviously has no knowledge of .NET or VB6, why argue?

He has no knowledge about .NET (AFAIS).

 

[CJ Taylor]

I am not sure that the OP is a troll.

Your killin me =) I don't know, I have to think he kinda is... according
to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

which was posted by Leylan I belive last week, regarding the "VB.NET
Desparate..." conversation that sparked some controversy.

Of course... by one of the defnitions. "without adding content to the
discussion, often intentionally" Peter is a troll. =)

argue?

He has no knowledge about .NET (AFAIS).

Fair enough, I retract my VB6 comment, but my .NET comment stands. Which
goes back to my original point of trolling. Why come in, when you have
absolutly no frame of reference and make somewhat confusing remarks over the
quality of .NET vs. VB6. The problem I have is, I don't know what "point"
he was trying to make. Are you converting? are you not? Just because you
mention a few buzzwords doesn't make you an expert. It just makes you look
dumb. =) (I'm speaking of the OP of course...)

 

[Cor]

LOL

 

[Fountain of knowledge]

he was trying to make. Are you converting? are you not? Just because you

mention a few buzzwords doesn't make you an expert. It just makes you look
dumb. =) (I'm speaking of the OP of course...)

???? The OP (me) obviously had a question that he hoped someone would
answer. It has nothing to do with whether I am converting or not.
Nor with whether I mentioned buzzwords or didn't. I never said I was
an expert. If I was, then why on earth would I have posted this
question. It was a valid question to which I did not know the answer,
and hoped to get the answer by posting the question.

It is a shame that people like you just post pointless comments like
you have. It really spoils the whole 'community spirit' which is why
these boards were created in the first place. It is better that you
refrain from posting in the future i think, until you have matured
slightly. Maybe in 10 years time.