VB6 or VB.NET?

[zach1188]

First off, I would like to appologise if this has already been posted. I am in a hurry so I have no time to search.

Is there somthing similar to Visual Studio 6 for .NET, like Visual Studio.NET?

I am currently programming using vb6, I want to move over to .NET since it has more functions. What I want to know, is the basic syntax of vb6/.NET the same, or at leaste similar? I really do not want to have to un-learn a language and have to re-learn another. Even if it would take my a while to switch languages, do you think I should? I am 13, so I obviously have a long time left to decide, but I want to get started as soon as I can.

[dglienna]

Check this out. It's free for a year, also!

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/support/install/

You can also just download VB.Net Express, instead of the image file.
VB.Net is the next version of Visual Basic, and is as close as it gets to VB, which isn't all that close.

[zach1188]

What im asking, does .NET have the same/similar syntax as vb6, or is it entirely different?

I don't need the software, because I'm getting which ever one I need soon. I need to decide if I need vb6 (What I use now), or .NET.

[dglienna]

Net is supposed to be similar to VB6, and deprecates many of the commands, but there are also new commands that do the same thing, so you are advised not to use the VB6 controls, as they may be dropped in future versions.

I haven't found the similarity though. I tried using Net 2003, and didn't like it. I haven't loaded Net 2005 yet, so I am hoping that it is easier to work with.

I got over the hump coming from QB to VB6, and finally got to a point that I'm comfortable with. That isn't the case with Net though.

Why don't you download the free version, and try it out? Make an opinion before you go out and buy. (btw, Microsoft has quit supporting VB6, and you might have a problem even finding it)

[zach1188]

So what your saying, is in .NET you can use the same syntax as vb6, but your are just advised not to as the new .NET functions are better?

P.S. I already have Visual Studio 6

[tr333]

VB.NET is almost an entirely different language to VB6. not the basic syntax, but the fact that VB.NET is totally Object Oriented while VB6 is not.

[dglienna]

The namespace has been included, which means that you can generally format Net statements to use VB functions, but it is recommended that you use the new versions. Net has the .Substring function vs. the MID$() function of VB.

Even their updater, that claims to update 95% of the code has never worked for anyone, as far as I know. It's good to update the code for one function, if you are totally lost, but it won't convert any apps from vb6 to vb.net

[Hack]

First off, I would like to appologise if this has already been posted. I am in a hurry so I have no time to search.There is no need to search. Just look down this page and you will see a very lengthy thread on moving from VB6 to .NET

[Shaggy Hiker]

There is no need to search. Just look down this page and you will see a very lengthy thread on moving from VB6 to .NET

Or up the page, esposito's thread keeps growing and growing. He's an anti-.NET person trying to gather evidence to keep from moving to .NET.

However, the long and short of it is that you will find .NET so totally different from VB6 that it hardly compares. However, I, like many others here, found that once I had gotten used to the changes in .NET, never wanted to go back to VB6. .NET is an improvement, but there's a real learning curve associated with it.

The other issue is that MS support for VB6 is going away. You will still be able to use the language, but you will never see an improvement beyond what you have in front of you now. Therefore, the future is in .NET or elsewhere, while VB6 will eventually fade out. However, VB6 has a huge existing base. It will be a loooooong time before it goes away completely.

[zach1188]

You mean vb6 is like c++, it is old but will take a long time to fade off? Anyways, after I get good at vb I am going to move over to c++, because ive heard it is a very powerful language, but horrible to start off with. Thanks for the suggestions...