IS vb 6 a powerful language?

[soothsayer]

Hey!

Im a learner and just started learning it a week ago.... So my question arises whether it is language worth... or just a waste for the present....
Im a beginner so shall i carry on with VB 6?

and is java programming in demand... coz i was learning java but resumed it... I find it hard. & tedious... moreoever the compile & runing takes time too....

Pls post ur opinions!

[Joacim Andersson]

It's pretty obvious that, in a VB forum, most people would vote for VB. C++ is more powerful but not easy to learn and very hard to master. Java is much easier to learn actually then C++ even though there are many syntax similaraties. VB6 can be very powerful and you can do mainly anything with it for the Windows platform. The language is also pretty easy to learn and master.

[Jacob Roman]

Visual Basic was called BASIC for a reason

It can be powerful depending on what you do with it. Like if you were to make a game on it, it would be best to use DirectX or OpenGL on VB rather than API's or pure VB cause some of those graphic API's like BitBlt is software based, slow, and limited to what you can do with it. DirectX and OpenGL on the other hand are super fast and hardware based with almost unlimited capabilities.

[szlamany]

I've made a really good living creating database frontends with mainframe BASIC and now VB6 - for the past 25 years!

Given the three choices you listed in the poll - I would have to say yes to VB6.

I will be moving to VB.Net over the summer - pulling all my customers along with me as well.

[Pino]

Its not the language thats powerful its how you use it

[Jacob Roman]

Its not the language thats powerful its how you use it

That's pretty much what I said.

[Nove]

While we're on the subject, how about a few comparisons? List some pros and cons of each, and which language is best used for what purpose.

[Pino]

While we're on the subject, how about a few comparisons? List some pros and cons of each, and which language is best used for what purpose.

which langauges would you like to compare?

The language use is dependat on the job

(I am going to get this moved to the general developer forum)

Pino

[ajames]

Ok, i think it's just VB6, C++ and Java

Pros :
VB6: Easy to learn and powerfulish
Java:Easyish and powerfuller
C++:Powerfullest

Cons :
VB6: Help file is a bit weird
Java: It confuses me (Syntax is a bit long)
C++:*U^"&$%)&%! Complicated!

[Joacim Andersson]

Well, I use all the languages listed above in the poll, but I don't agree with the assumption that Java is more powerful then VB. That is not true! However Java is platform independent, so if you need to write code to run on both Windows as well as any kind of Unix version Java would be the easiest language to port.

But we have to realise that 98% of the users are running some kind of Windows version, so if you're making a desktop application, Java would not be my choice of language (well Java IS NOT my choice of language for any kind of desktop application).

I do use C++ to some extent. I am an old C/C++ developer even though I've actually used VB since version 1.0 (or if it was version 1.1 that was released for Windows, I really can't remember. I know there was a VB for DOS and I've seen it and tried it out but I can't really say that I've used it since I've never made anything useful with it) I must say that I more often use VB6 today for pure Windows development then I use C or C++. Of course much development today strives for the .Net platform and in those cases I develop in booth VB.Net as well as C#. However when it comes to the .Net platform I, as an old VB programmer prefer VB.Net before C#, but I use them both.

To get to the point: I know C++ but I rarely do any development in that language today. Most new applications you find on the market are probably made with C++, but most developers don't create new applications they provide new systems or integrates already existing sytems for their customers.

In conclusion from an old time developer: Yes VB6 still have a market place, and VB is still one of the most easiest language to learn but is also a very powerful language for the Windows platform.

[szlamany]

Then let me ask you...

If I have a lightweight VB6 frontend app right now - strong GUI - no business logic - should I consider migrating it to C or stick with VB.Net for the migration path? I'm not familiar with the C++ advantages over VB.Net for UI-type programs.

[Maven]

Hey!

Im a learner and just started learning it a week ago.... So my question arises whether it is language worth... or just a waste for the present....
Im a beginner so shall i carry on with VB 6?

and is java programming in demand... coz i was learning java but resumed it... I find it hard. & tedious... moreoever the compile & runing takes time too....

Pls post ur opinions!

Language wise, visual basic is an extremely simple language. Visual basic really gets most of it's power from a huge library of functions that are availiable to be called. C on the other hand is a very complex language. It will take you a long time to master the langauge itself without even looking at the vast library it has surrounding it.

From experience I can say that most people who go directly into C/C++ usually end up failing. In C++, you will not create a windows program for a very long time because you're having to learn so much about the langauge. Insead you will be writing programs that will only run in Dos / command prompt. You're also dealing with a CaSe SensitiVe langauge and each statment is terminated with a simi colon. It's probably reasonable to assume it would take someone nearly a year to learn the C/C++ language. Then after you do actually have the C langauge down, you will have to learn huge librarys like the windows API, MFC, ATL, STL, and on and on .net.

In a nutshell, I've seen books out there that say you can learn C++ in just 21 days, which is untrue. It will take years to master the C/C++ langauge.

Instead I recommend learning visual basic as you're first langauge. It's a very simple langauge and you will begin creating windows programs day 1. It's hides a huge amount of things from you so you can concentrate on learning the idea of programming. You will learn a few concepts that will aid you when you do begin learning C++. The windows API is a good example of something you will have to know in C++.

Just don't make the mistake that I see many developers make. That is learn one langauge and say "That's all I need". People get attached to their langauges for some reason. I've seen people say that ASM is all you need, I've seen people say the same thing about C, C++ and Visual Basic. I think it's some sort of madness programmers take. Always look at a problem and decide what language would create the best solution. =)

Good Luck with coding =)