I have been on a mission to save vb6 and bring back support, but from the overwhelming hatred here, I can only extrapolate that the same would come from inside Microsoft, and that means the chance of it happening is slim..
so over the last 11 years I have been looking to move my 3 projects to something else.
I recently looked at lazarus - Delphi. Has anyone here moved to Delphi from vb6 and would you recommend it.
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Any other languages is going to be different, I've never tried Delphi.
I would suggest learning C++ or C# (microsoft or not).
From there, you will be able to keep the same language for a long time.
Most of the big programs and also a lot of games uses C# or mostly C++.
I have been on a mission to save vb6 and bring back support, but from the overwhelming hatred here
Funny, I have not saw any "hatred" at all. What I have saw is quite a few people thinking that there is pretty much no chance of it ever happening and that it is foolish to keep hoping for it rather than moving on.
To answer the question, no I have never worked with Delphi. If it were move I would move to VB.Net or C# depending on how much time I want to invest. If I had lots of time then I would move to C++ but probably would not consider Delphi
Funny, I have not saw any "hatred" at all. What I have saw is quite a few people thinking that there is pretty much no chance of it ever happening and that it is foolish to keep hoping for it rather than moving on.
To answer the question, no I have never worked with Delphi. If it were move I would move to VB.Net or C# depending on how much time I want to invest. If I had lots of time then I would move to C++ but probably would not consider Delphi
why would you not move to Delphi.. its seems close to vb6 in simplicity and functionality?
I've never actually looked at Delphi. I have heard mixed things about it but that was back around the time VB6 came out. I thought Delphi had gone the way of the 8 track
Anyway, I actually have all the various .Net languages as well as several versions of C and C++ and it would be much easier for most vb6 users to code in VB.Net than some new language since there is a lot of actual VB6 code that is supported under VB.Net. You might be surprised just how easy it is to do some things in VB.Net.
I've never actually looked at Delphi. I have heard mixed things about it but that was back around the time VB6 came out. I thought Delphi had gone the way of the 8 track
Anyway, I actually have all the various .Net languages as well as several versions of C and C++ and it would be much easier for most vb6 users to code in VB.Net than some new language since there is a lot of actual VB6 code that is supported under VB.Net. You might be surprised just how easy it is to do some things in VB.Net.
the thing is... if I am going to have to re-write my app, why would I move to trust MS again, and limit myself to windows only.. Also why would I want this HUGE framework of stuff I am not going to use and not have security of my algorithms when I compile.
I just cannot get past the verbosity it's just too much noise in .net
ps: I know about mono.. but I don't think it is there yet.
If you can no longer meet your needs using VB6 there are plenty of alternatives. Each has its own strong and weak points.
Since there isn't any obvious "best" alternative you have to decide which points are most important to you, select a few options, and then perform an evaluation of each of them. You might decide on more than one!
However many of the things tripping up coders finally leaving the dying world of WinXP (and this was really about its "easy emulation of Win9x by making all users admins") have nothing to do with a language, the compiler, or the runtime environment. You will have to come to grips with those issues no matter what tools you use. Two broad categories of these issues are standard user security (which encompasses the "Where do I put my files?" issue and several deployment issues) and high DPI scaling.
If these are what cause you grief in VB6 then changing horses isn't likely to help you much.
Well the rewrite would be easier in VB.Net than in most other languages as you may be able to use some of your code with little or no changes.
Also to be fair most of us knew over 10 years ago that we would need to do this, we should consider ourselves lucky that our VB6 program still work under the newer Windows OS versions.
It's also not the first time that there was a need to rewrite in a newer/different language. I have rewritten quite a few programs and a couple of them more than once over the years.
I had written a lot of code in GWBasic back in the day and used peek and poke statements to do some very niffty things, when I upgraded to VBDos those things no longer worked and I had to rewrite. Again when I moved to VB3 and again when I moved to VB5. VB.Net is just another link in the chain and it does support more platforms than VB6.
I have written software in .Net for Windows PCs, WEB, Windows CE, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, XBox 360.
I have also saw some info related to using C# to develop for Linux, possibly even VB.Net.
Currently I am looking into Java and Andriod development
Currently I am looking into Java and Andriod development
That's an option but it is also a field where (a.) things are rapidly getting crowded, and (b.) there is a great deal of cutthroat competition and thus less of a sharing spirit.
For many applications Basic4Android makes an excellent RAD tool, and seems to be growing a more tolerant community than the pure-Java one. There is also the free B4J toolset for creating applications targeting the conventional desktop JVM. B4J has so many similarities to B4A that you might use it to evaluate this Basic language dialect as well as to create PC-side and even server-side adjuncts of your Android applications.
For many applications Basic4Android makes an excellent RAD tool, and seems to be growing a more tolerant community than the pure-Java one. There is also the free B4J toolset for creating applications targeting the conventional desktop JVM. B4J has so many similarities to B4A that you might use it to evaluate this Basic language dialect as well as to create PC-side and even server-side adjuncts of your Android applications.
I second that. Having been developing VB6 Applications for a long time I found the 'migration' to Basic4Andriod painless.
I have been on a mission to save vb6 and bring back support, but from the overwhelming hatred here, I can only extrapolate that the same would come from inside Microsoft, and that means the chance of it happening is slim..
so over the last 11 years I have been looking to move my 3 projects to something else.
I recently looked at lazarus - Delphi. Has anyone here moved to Delphi from vb6 and would you recommend it.
Thanks
WP
Hi axisdj,
This is probably one of the more VB6 friendly forums - but we do get the odd visitor from the Visual Basic.Net forum who perhaps bring their 'religious' fervor rather than hatred.
So why are you looking to move now ?
If you are targeting Windows desktop applications then VB6 has Microsoft "It just works" until at least 2023 and VB6 (applications and IDE) runs on Windows 7 and 8.x (in fact VB6 is likely to carry on as long as Windows uses the Windows API).
I would advise you to take note of what dilettante said in post #9, particularly if you are having problems on versions of Windows newer than XP.
If you are looking to move to web browser apps then JavaScript seems to be the way to go. NSBasic could be a useful tool here. It lets you use VB (with an IDE somewhat like VB6's) to generate JavaScript. In fact you keep your source code in VB and "compile" it to JavaScript. ActiveXs and WinAPI calls aren't supported, of course. You can target desktop, Android and iOS
If you are targeting Android then dilettante has already mentioned Basic4Android, which will give native Android applications.
For Linux (not really my area) you have Gambas and I understand VB6 runs under WINE.
This is probably one of the more VB6 friendly forums - but we do get the odd visitor from the Visual Basic.Net forum who perhaps bring their 'religious' fervor rather than hatred.
So why are you looking to move now ?
If you are targeting Windows desktop applications then VB6 has Microsoft "It just works" until at least 2023 and VB6 (applications and IDE) runs on Windows 7 and 8.x (in fact VB6 is likely to carry on as long as Windows uses the Windows API).
I would advise you to take note of what dilettante said in post #9, particularly if you are having problems on versions of Windows newer than XP.
If you are looking to move to web browser apps then JavaScript seems to be the way to go. NSBasic could be a useful tool here. It lets you use VB (with an IDE somewhat like VB6's) to generate JavaScript. In fact you keep your source code in VB and "compile" it to JavaScript. ActiveXs and WinAPI calls aren't supported, of course. You can target desktop, Android and iOS
If you are targeting Android then dilettante has already mentioned Basic4Android, which will give native Android applications.
For Linux (not really my area) you have Gambas and I understand VB6 runs under WINE.
Hello Sten,
My product is very time specific, right now what happens is when someone buys my software/hardware solution, they buy a new PC to run it on. So yes I know vb6 will currently run on the current windows OS, and it does perfectly right now. But what if win9 or win10 it stops working. that is the problem. I am not wanting to switch for functionality, I am concerned about future OS's compatibility.
My web app interface currently uses javascript and works great on any mobile and desktop device. Thanks for the NSBasic suggestion, maybe I can enhance my web app using that solution.
NSBasic has nothing to do with web apps. It is also a (pair of) dead products: you can't get them, there is no active support anymore.
The company does now have NSB/AppStudio for making PhoneGap foreign mobile apps. I evaluated and discarded it, but others seem to like it.
It sounds like when you say you want "support" for VB6 you don't want a lot. No changes really, just... well, I'm not sure. Bug fixes for known issues? Do you want the IDE supported beyond 32-bit Vista (the last supported platform for the VB6 IDE)? Supported as in "was supported" at least, until they cut off support even on Win95 as of April 2008.
I'm confused because you can install the IDE and compiled VB6 programs just fine right through Win8.1.1 so far, and compiled VB6 programs are supported there.
So yes I know vb6 will currently run on the current windows OS, and it does perfectly right now. But what if win9 or win10 it stops working. that is the problem. I am not wanting to switch for functionality, I am concerned about future OS's compatibility.
It is always difficult to know what will work on future operating systems. I'm not sure that even Microsoft would know the answer at the moment.
But VB6 should continue running as long as Windows continues to use the Windows API. Even if the VB6 runtime isn't included in the OS you can install it along with your software.
From what we have heard so far, Windows 9 should support VB6.
Realistically, of course, Microsoft are unlikely to end support of VB6 because VB6 apps are still widely used in business and government.
If support for the Windows API does end at some stage in the (far) future this would affect lots of other (non-VB6) apps too - including Microsoft Office. Even then, I would expect that there would be a 'compatibility' mode in the OS to allow Windows API apps to continue.
And if there was a release of Windows that didn't support the Windows API I suspect it's take-up would make Vista look like a roaring success!
Vista got a bad rap, and "the word" seems to be that Apple was behind a lot of the FUD. In any case it is still an excellent version of Windows. The only real snags were that when it was new people tried to install it on creaky old XP-era hardware, some hardware vendors were slow to create proper drivers, and ISVs were slow to update their products to meet the newly-enforced (though far from new) Standard User Application rules.
Win7 has nearly all the same woes as Vista, especially Vista SP2 which eliminated most of the differences. It's just that with time most of the remaining issues finally got worked out by 3rd parties who were to blame in the 1st place.
Microsoft does need to do something to help people migrate those billions of lines of VB6 code. They aren't simply going to fade away as fast as they had ever hoped.
But it is hard to imagine what they can do. If they keep everything the same so old code continues to compile with close to zero changes they may as well just do nothing since the VB6 compiler still works and the compiled VB6 programs still work.
I suppose a new VB6 compiler might address future OS changes in some way but it is very hard to imagine what those changes might even look like since no such plans have been announced.
At the most I suppose they could produce a 64-bit compiler that generated code for 32-bit sized pointers, Longs, etc. but even then API calls used would break left and right. It wouldn't be easy to make a compiler smart enough to make good enough guesses and adapt. So if they really wanted 32-bit Windows to go away they'd have to produce a new compiler with type extensions like those in VBA 6.5/7 and beg people to manually convert their 32-bit VB6 source before the end arrives.
I also encourage everyone to contact all and any software/technology magazines and online press outlets, and let them know about this. Thanks for all the support to this point, but we need to push harder.
I also ask MS to at least meet with a few vb6 experts so we/they can make the case for why this would be a good decision both technology wise and business wise.
I don't want to add confusion to the theme, but there are things I still don't get.
Imo, VB syntax is not the problem, but the binary resulting from the compilation/linkage. As I see it, the problem with the upcoming WinRT API (or ABI?), for current VB Classic users, is that one need C++ to produce native code (Win32/64). Am I wrong?
The story tells that it was the simplicity of VB syntax that brought so many applications to Windows, so why not provide the same for WinRT instead of "forcing" people to look for alternatives? Personally I don't want to move to .NET, for a variety of reasons.
One of these is that the ABI isn't fixed, but based on what Microsoft is calling projections. The only ones they provide are for their own C++ compiler, their modified WinRT CLR, and what appears to be a container host for script and HTML (similar to but different from mshta.exe and the desktop gadget host of Vista & Win7).
They claim that a 3rd party could create these for other compilers and runtimes, though I haven't heard of any, or of any plans anyone has to create them.
And as far as VB (i.e. "classic" VB) goes it isn't even on their radar. Remember this WinRT thing has been driven from Day One by C++ folks within Microsoft, and they always feared and loathed VB as some sort of threat or insult.
I moved from VB6 to delphi a few years back and then started using Lazarus, but I still use VB6, now and then I may use C#, but that is now and then not a lot, I whould highy recoment using Delphi if you cannot afford it then Lazarus is your next best thing, you find converting your code is almost no different to VB6 in fact once you get into it, you think why you never used it years ago. plus there a biggy in Delphi and lazarus there are 1000s of free components to help also no runtimes is a good one to have.
I moved from VB6 to delphi a few years back and then started using Lazarus, but I still use VB6, now and then I may use C#, but that is now and then not a lot, I whould highy recoment using Delphi if you cannot afford it then Lazarus is your next best thing, you find converting your code is almost no different to VB6 in fact once you get into it, you think why you never used it years ago. plus there a biggy in Delphi and lazarus there are 1000s of free components to help also no runtimes is a good one to have.
Thank you benJones, for actually answering the question. I will keep learning it and I have found a code converter vbtoDelphi, may convert parts of my app bit by bit.
I still think there is hope for vb6, but if it sinks, I think Delphi/Lazarus will be the direction, just have to rewire for 'begin end, and ;' I have to say the language looks clean and to the point.
Thanks Again.
PS. OMG vb6 surpassed c# on the tiobe index? Crazy! http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/conte...pci/index.html ... and yes I know tiobe is not accurate blah blah blah, it does not matter, very cool to see. Gives me hope, but I think I'll be ready either way.
And as far as VB (i.e. "classic" VB) goes it isn't even on their radar. Remember this WinRT thing has been driven from Day One by C++ folks within Microsoft, and they always feared and loathed VB as some sort of threat or insult.
Just FYI, Spoke with one of the c++ managers at MS a month or so ago. He actually does not loathe vb6, and still acknowledges it has a huge following. The c++ guys are actually better with vb6 cause it native using win32...
Visual Basic 6 has just risen to 5th place in the Tiobe Index of programming language popularity for May 2014
C# has dropped to 6th, and VB.Net is 11th.
C++ programmers will dismiss you as a cretinous simpleton for your inability to keep track of pointers chained 6 levels deep and Java programmers will pillory you for buying into the evils of Microsoft. Meanwhile C# programmers will get paid just a little bit more than you for writing exactly the same code and VB6 programmers will continue to whitter on about "footprints". - FunkyDexter
There's just no reason to use garbage like InputBox. - jmcilhinney
The threads I start are Niya and Olaf free zones. No arguing about the benefits of VB6 over .NET here please. Happiness must reign. - yereverluvinuncleber
C++ programmers will dismiss you as a cretinous simpleton for your inability to keep track of pointers chained 6 levels deep and Java programmers will pillory you for buying into the evils of Microsoft. Meanwhile C# programmers will get paid just a little bit more than you for writing exactly the same code and VB6 programmers will continue to whitter on about "footprints". - FunkyDexter
There's just no reason to use garbage like InputBox. - jmcilhinney
The threads I start are Niya and Olaf free zones. No arguing about the benefits of VB6 over .NET here please. Happiness must reign. - yereverluvinuncleber
My God in Heaven! Don't those people have anything better to do masturbate to VB6. Geez!
What's wrong with you? People are hoping to keep something they like and are used too, and you are simply against it, just for fun?
It's maybe not your fault, maybe you are just another victim of something terrible in the childhood, but still...
I've used Delphi for years and it's a pretty good tool. However if you don't trust Microsoft simply because the major update you're forced to do for moving VB6 code to .Net you should be informed that since Embarcadero took over the development of Delphi from Borland there have been 4 releases where you where forced to make significant updates to your code for it to compile in the latest version. The first was Delphi 8, the second Delphi 2010, followed by Delphi XE and Delphi XE4. So if you want to go that route be prepared to rewrite your code every 3 year or so.
Delphi is also extremely expensive. Embarcadero releases a new version every 12 month, with no service packs or free updates in between. And you are required to pay for each update. The community is also comparable small compared to .Net so getting community help is limited.
I've used a few Delphi programmed apps (as well as Java apps). They basically suck - albeit a small, anecdotal, sample. It seems like they are trying too hard or be too clever.
"hai, guys! lets make a car but better! put the steering wheel in the back, facing left! that'll make our apps unique and distinctive!"
"Ok, my response to that is pending a Google search" - Bucky Katt. "There are two types of people in the world: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data sets." - Unk. "Before you can 'think outside the box' you need to understand where the box is."
What's wrong with you? People are hoping to keep something they like and are used too, and you are simply against it, just for fun?
It's maybe not your fault, maybe you are just another victim of something terrible in the childhood, but still...
I loved VB6 and never wanted to move to VB.Net for all the same reasons VB6 users complain about. The syntax is different, the runtime is too big, it didn't compile to native code. I held out for a couple years but when I began to realize that MS was firm in their decision to end development on their COM based VB in favor or VB.Net you know what I did ? I didn't sign petitions or come on forums to cry about how terrible MS was or how much they liked money. I said to hell with it and I actually gave VB.Net a chance. I tried it out and now I'm all the better for it. If you guys wanna go on FaceBook and moan about how MS doesn't care about you because they chose not to stay in past then you'd get nothing but mockery from me.
Clients don't care about about our petty grievances with decisions made by the companies that make our dev tools. They only care that we can provide them with our services as developers. Whether it be some web service or payroll software, it doesn't matter what tool we use, only that it can be done and it works. You guys wanna waste time crying over VB6 instead of trying to widen your knowledge in your field then you deserve to be mocked. If I spent the amount of effort you guys spend complaining I'd get nothing done. While I can sympathize with your views, in the end, I'm a very pragmatic person. There is nothing to be gained by signing petitions and making FB accounts in the hope that MS would actually take it seriously and revive VB6 some 15 years after they decided to leave it behind. Get real.
C++ programmers will dismiss you as a cretinous simpleton for your inability to keep track of pointers chained 6 levels deep and Java programmers will pillory you for buying into the evils of Microsoft. Meanwhile C# programmers will get paid just a little bit more than you for writing exactly the same code and VB6 programmers will continue to whitter on about "footprints". - FunkyDexter
There's just no reason to use garbage like InputBox. - jmcilhinney
The threads I start are Niya and Olaf free zones. No arguing about the benefits of VB6 over .NET here please. Happiness must reign. - yereverluvinuncleber
I've used a few Delphi programmed apps (as well as Java apps). They basically suck
It doesn't matter which language a program is written in. If it sucks it sucks. I use several applications written in Delphi on a daily basis, such as InnoSetup, IcoFX (great icon editor), and my own ScriptBrix which is an entire IDE with its own language that's very similar to VB6 (see attached screen shot). None of which sucks!
I loved VB6 and never wanted to move to VB.Net for all the same reasons VB6 users complain about. The syntax is different, the runtime is too big, it didn't compile to native code. I held out for a couple years but when I began to realize that MS was firm in their decision to end development on their COM based VB in favor or VB.Net you know what I did ? I didn't sign petitions or come on forums to cry about how terrible MS was or how much they liked money. I said to hell with it and I actually gave VB.Net a chance. I tried it out and now I'm all the better for it. If you guys wanna go on FaceBook and moan about how MS doesn't care about you because they chose not to stay in past then you'd get nothing but mockery from me.
Clients don't care about about our petty grievances with decisions made by the companies that make our dev tools. They only care that we can provide them with our services as developers. Whether it be some web service or payroll software, it doesn't matter what tool we use, only that it can be done and it works. You guys wanna waste time crying over VB6 instead of trying to widen your knowledge in your field then you deserve to be mocked. If I spent the amount of effort you guys spend complaining I'd get nothing done. While I can sympathize with your views, in the end, I'm a very pragmatic person. There is nothing to be gained by signing petitions and making FB accounts in the hope that MS would actually take it seriously and revive VB6 some 15 years after they decided to leave it behind. Get real.
That does not change the fact that VB.net is a language of poor quality, with a non-VB syntax. Nobody complains, these are demands ! I do not know where you get this stuff. And who mocks who in reality?! (VB6 5th and VB.NET 11th)
The wave is already changed for VB6.
Last edited by Fatina; May 11th, 2014 at 11:53 AM.
It doesn't matter which language a program is written in. If it sucks it sucks. I use several applications written in Delphi on a daily basis, such as InnoSetup, IcoFX (great icon editor), and my own ScriptBrix which is an entire IDE with its own language that's very similar to VB6 (see attached screen shot). None of which sucks!
We have in VB6 a lot of ScriptBrix open source projects. However, a beautiful application and nice design
I loved VB6 and never wanted to move to VB.Net for all the same reasons VB6 users complain about. The syntax is different, the runtime is too big, it didn't compile to native code. I held out for a couple years but when I began to realize that MS was firm in their decision to end development on their COM based VB in favor or VB.Net you know what I did ? I didn't sign petitions or come on forums to cry about how terrible MS was or how much they liked money. I said to hell with it and I actually gave VB.Net a chance. I tried it out and now I'm all the better for it.
You are free to tell us all your life, and we are free to believe it or not. Personally I don't believe you, but I don't give a s. either.
If you guys wanna go on FaceBook and moan about how MS doesn't care about you because they chose not to stay in past then you'd get nothing but mockery from me.
"Choose not to stay in the past" is just your vision on the subject. And when MS decided to force the herd of sheeps to adopt .NET (that's what they did, and in the story you are just another sheep), those who didn't accept the decision (ie, who refused to be a sheep) have the right to use anything they want to loud it.
Clients don't care about about our petty grievances with decisions made by the companies that make our dev tools. They only care that we can provide them with our services as developers. Whether it be some web service or payroll software, it doesn't matter what tool we use, only that it can be done and it works. You guys wanna waste time crying over VB6 instead of trying to widen your knowledge in your field then you deserve to be mocked. If I spent the amount of effort you guys spend complaining I'd get nothing done. While I can sympathize with your views, in the end, I'm a very pragmatic person. There is nothing to be gained by signing petitions and making FB accounts in the hope that MS would actually take it seriously and revive VB6 some 15 years after they decided to leave it behind. Get real.
Clientes DO CARE when they need to buy new equipment and still run software slower than before. Even MS don't use .NET for serious applications, and that's a reason to mockery. And now they are partially dropping that so called "mother of all the frameworks" and will develop further the good old COM technology based on native binaries, and this is another reason for mockery. So...you get real.
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Originally Posted by Nightwalker83
Re: vb6 to delphi / lazarus / xerocoder
Re: vb6 to delphi / lazarus / xerocoder
