Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 41 to 80 of 101

Thread: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

  1. #41
    Fanatic Member Spooman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    868

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Why stop at VB 7?
    Looks like there may already be a VB 15

    http://www.codeguru.com/columns/vb/w...&rni=400853555

    Edit:

    My bad ..
    https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd831853.aspx

    Looks like the 1st link was referring to .NET
    Last edited by Spooman; Apr 3rd, 2017 at 09:47 AM.

  2. #42
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    2,083

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by loquat View Post
    I have heard some people wants to write VB6.1 or VB7 in cooperation just like vb56390
    if all of you can cooperate, non-official VB7 maybe come out sooner or later
    For the rest of us, we can hope
    If there is something I can help, I would like to do it.
    Agree with your opinion, I think so.

  3. #43
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by meopilite View Post
    I dont recall all of Visual Basics history, but Bill Gates had a lot to do with BASIC. I believe BASIC was originally designed by someone before Gates, but Bill did a lot with it. True Visual Basic died when Gates stepped-down from microsoft and Balmer took over. Thats when .Net came to play. I think Visual Basic was Gates' baby. He had a lot of success with it. Seems when he left MS, so did BASIC.

    If Bill was able to continue BASIC and make it better (and easier) back when he first got into computers, then perhaps someone can take over from where he left off.

    Correct me if I'm wrong on my history though.......
    I recently got a description of the body language used by both Gates and Balmer when it was explained to them that .NET would not be backward code compatible with VB6, among other things. This from the person who gave that talk. Therefore, Gates was around at that time.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  4. #44
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Peekay View Post
    but I will never let go of MSHFlexgrid
    Why? That was all that was available, but it was never all that functional.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  5. #45
    Lively Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    72

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    It will be great if Microsoft open source VB6 and we can upgrade it together . By that way, we can vote this up and hope Microsoft will accept :

    https://visualstudio.uservoice.com/f...visual-basic-6

    Otherwise, we can also vote for a VB7 upgrade from Microsoft:

    https://visualstudio.uservoice.com/f...-vb6-to-vb7-cl

  6. #46
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    2,083

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    I guess Microsoft won't open source VB6, because it relates to the core confidential of MS-Office. In addition, Microsoft won't upgrade VB6, they want everyone to use .NET instead of VB6 and VC6. Microsoft is a great company, but they have always been very arrogant, ignoring the voices of developers.

  7. #47
    Superbly Moderated NeedSomeAnswers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Manchester uk
    Posts
    2,660

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    I never ceases to amaze me that we still have threads like this. We have threads about a new VB6 on this site for years and yet nobody has even looked like creating one. Why? because its to much like hard work. It would need a team clever people working on it full time, and nobody is prepared to pay them to do it.

    MS will not open Source VB6 its not in there interest to do so.

    Nobody is forcing anybody to upgrade and use something else, you can still use VB6 so why not just keep using what you've got?

    MS has decided to invest in .Net instead that is where you will find new features if you want new features, you dont have to like it but that the reality of the situation.
    Please Mark your Thread "Resolved", if the query is solved & Rate those who have helped you



  8. #48
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    24,482

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    VB.Net development has slowed. C# is moving ahead without it.

  9. #49

    Thread Starter
    Lively Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Posts
    86

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    thx

  10. #50

    Thread Starter
    Lively Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Posts
    86

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    thanks a lot

  11. #51

    Thread Starter
    Lively Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Posts
    86

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    seems a good way

  12. #52
    Ex-Super Mod RobDog888's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    LA, Calif. Raiders #1 AKA:Gangsta Yodaâ„¢
    Posts
    60,710

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by dilettante View Post
    You give Bill Gates more credit than he deserves. Basic was around for a decade before Gates started work on his first interpreter.

    What killed Basic for Microsoft was the decision to hire Anders Hejlsberg, who had a grudge against Basic for a long time. VB in particular stuck in his craw because it meant users could finally move to Windows, leaving his cruddy DOS Turbo Pascal in the dust. He tried to fire another volley with his ill-fated "VB Killer" project, which became Delphi. Delphi was never successful on a large scale.

    VJ++ was his second attempt to kill VB. When that landed Microsoft in court he quickly started rubbing the serial numbers off it and huddled with a team of lawyers and bribesters to pay off Sun and rebirth it as C#, his 3rd attempt to kill VB.

    Finally he huddled with FoxPro folks and created the incompatible VB.Net, meant to strike a final blow at VB. This was used as an excuse to halt the VB 7.0 effort, and stole its name.
    I once had dinner with Anders years ago at a MS event. I have a picture around somewhere
    VB/Office Guru™ (AKA: Gangsta Yoda™ ®)
    I dont answer coding questions via PM. Please post a thread in the appropriate forum.

    Microsoft MVP 2006-2011
    Office Development FAQ (C#, VB.NET, VB 6, VBA)
    Senior Jedi Software Engineer MCP (VB 6 & .NET), BSEE, CET
    If a post has helped you then Please Rate it!
    • Reps & Rating Posts • VS.NET on Vista • Multiple .NET Framework Versions • Office Primary Interop Assemblies • VB/Office Guru™ Word SpellChecker™.NET • VB/Office Guru™ Word SpellChecker™ VB6 • VB.NET Attributes Ex. • Outlook Global Address List • API Viewer utility • .NET API Viewer Utility •
    System: Intel i7 6850K, Geforce GTX1060, Samsung M.2 1 TB & SATA 500 GB, 32 GBs DDR4 3300 Quad Channel RAM, 2 Viewsonic 24" LCDs, Windows 10, Office 2016, VS 2019, VB6 SP6

  13. #53
    Ex-Super Mod RobDog888's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    LA, Calif. Raiders #1 AKA:Gangsta Yodaâ„¢
    Posts
    60,710

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by loquat View Post
    I have heard some people wants to write VB6.1 or VB7 in cooperation just like vb56390
    if all of you can cooperate, non-official VB7 maybe come out sooner or later
    For the rest of us, we can hope
    If there is something I can help, I would like to do it.
    We once created a dedicated subforum for Project coordination for such efforts
    VB/Office Guru™ (AKA: Gangsta Yoda™ ®)
    I dont answer coding questions via PM. Please post a thread in the appropriate forum.

    Microsoft MVP 2006-2011
    Office Development FAQ (C#, VB.NET, VB 6, VBA)
    Senior Jedi Software Engineer MCP (VB 6 & .NET), BSEE, CET
    If a post has helped you then Please Rate it!
    • Reps & Rating Posts • VS.NET on Vista • Multiple .NET Framework Versions • Office Primary Interop Assemblies • VB/Office Guru™ Word SpellChecker™.NET • VB/Office Guru™ Word SpellChecker™ VB6 • VB.NET Attributes Ex. • Outlook Global Address List • API Viewer utility • .NET API Viewer Utility •
    System: Intel i7 6850K, Geforce GTX1060, Samsung M.2 1 TB & SATA 500 GB, 32 GBs DDR4 3300 Quad Channel RAM, 2 Viewsonic 24" LCDs, Windows 10, Office 2016, VS 2019, VB6 SP6

  14. #54
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    The problem with people collaborating on a new VB whatever would be that they'd have to kill each other first, until only one was left. Kind of a Hunger Games scenario. The reason is that a fair number of people want a new version, but once you get talking about what they want in that new version, you find that if there are N people who want a new version, you have N different ideas as to what it should do. So, if anybody ever did create a new version, a few people would be thrilled, a few people would be mildly happy, and a whole bunch of people would be outraged because it didn't include X.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  15. #55
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    4,995

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    The problem with people collaborating on a new VB whatever would be that they'd have to kill each other first, until only one was left. Kind of a Hunger Games scenario. The reason is that a fair number of people want a new version, but once you get talking about what they want in that new version, you find that if there are N people who want a new version, you have N different ideas as to what it should do. So, if anybody ever did create a new version, a few people would be thrilled, a few people would be mildly happy, and a whole bunch of people would be outraged because it didn't include X.
    But until that discordance is relevant, we need a VB 6.000001 that can do all that VB6 does.

    Then there could be disagreement.

  16. #56
    Lively Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    73

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    ...you find that if there are N people who want a new version, you have N different ideas as to what it should do.
    Nonsense.

    There would be at least N+1 versions

  17. #57
    Lively Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    73

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    I recently got a description of the body language used by both Gates and Balmer when it was explained to them that .NET would not be backward code compatible with VB6, among other things. This from the person who gave that talk.
    Tell us more !

    There seems to be little information around from people who were actually there at the time.

  18. #58
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    2,083

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    The problem with people collaborating on a new VB whatever would be that they'd have to kill each other first, until only one was left. Kind of a Hunger Games scenario. The reason is that a fair number of people want a new version, but once you get talking about what they want in that new version, you find that if there are N people who want a new version, you have N different ideas as to what it should do. So, if anybody ever did create a new version, a few people would be thrilled, a few people would be mildly happy, and a whole bunch of people would be outraged because it didn't include X.
    Agree with your statement. I have been concerned about Golang for years, and what you said has appeared in GoLang. But Golang developers always stick to their principles, because they are all masters. Of course, they are also very happy to listen to the views of developers. Now GoLang has been developing steadily.

    One of the most important reasons I am concerned about Golang is that I think Golang is the best language for developing True-VB7.

    Quote Originally Posted by Eduardo- View Post
    But until that discordance is relevant, we need a VB 6.000001 that can do all that VB6 does.
    In my opinion, VB6.0 + Olaf's vbRichClient is VB6.1
    Last edited by dreammanor; Apr 6th, 2017 at 07:01 AM.

  19. #59
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Eduardo- View Post
    But until that discordance is relevant, we need a VB 6.000001 that can do all that VB6 does.

    Then there could be disagreement.
    What would it have? VB6 still works, and will continue to work. With a name like VB 6.000001, I would assume that you are talking about VB6 with some really minor change, but what would that be?
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  20. #60
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    4,995

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    What would it have? VB6 still works, and will continue to work.
    It will have that we will have the source code to continue the development, and that we will have the experience after having doing it, and it would prepare us to do much more.

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    With a name like VB 6.000001, I would assume that you are talking about VB6 with some really minor change, but what would that be?
    I was talking about it being exactly as VB6 is, the ".000001" was to tell that it wasn't the original VB6.

    I have read several people that say what you say "we already have VB6, and it works".
    Yes, that's true, and it's fine that it works, but we are not able to make any minor change or fix.

    For example, did you try to make a DPI aware program that can work with some DPI that produce a non integer Screen.TwipsPerPixelX/Y? For example 192 DPI (that is one of the options that Windows has)?
    It won't work, because TwipsPerPixelX/Y are integers, and we are not able to change them to be single values instead of integers.
    Something so "simple" like that we cannot do.

    It's not a problem today because people usually do not set Windows to more than 144 DPI, but in the future, as the monitors technology evolve, who knows.

    It's just an example.

    Another thing is to bring back the "ease" for the beginners, now if you want to do something good you need to use subclassing.
    The PDW is also obsolete, people need to be able to produce SxS installation packages with an intuitive assistant as the old PDW is.

    Threading, perhaps DPI independence, 64 bits exes are desired features.

    There are many desirable features.
    That VB6 is still usefull after about 20 years that the development stopped, means that it is a very good language.

    And I said that until we have a VB6 replacement, there would be very little to discuss, but after that, of course, some will prefer some features before others.

    That's my point of view.

  21. #61
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Eduardo- View Post
    It will have that we will have the source code to continue the development, and that we will have the experience after having doing it, and it would prepare us to do much more.
    That's a good point. You can't build on what you don't have, so that WOULD have to be a first step.

    Code:
    That VB6 is still usefull after about 20 years that the development stopped, means that it is a very good language.
    Well, no. Cobol pretty much sucked then and now, but it's still around. So, the fact that it is still around doesn't necessarily signify anything other than that a whole bunch of programs were written in it. I still have a handful in VB6 that are still running. They shouldn't be, but they are, because nobody wants to take the time to replace them.


    And I said that until we have a VB6 replacement, there would be very little to discuss, but after that, of course, some will prefer some features before others.

    That's my point of view.
    It's a good point of view.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  22. #62
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    4,995

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    Well, no. Cobol pretty much sucked then and now, but it's still around. So, the fact that it is still around doesn't necessarily signify anything other than that a whole bunch of programs were written in it.
    Well, I could agree for the general idea (C language comes to my mind) but not for COBOL and VB.

    They both have strenghts not easily found in other languages, and many people don't want to move to something else because there aren't good replacements for them.

    I think that many programmers use C (C++, C# or whatever) because that's what they are taught to use when they study, and because of the "reputation".

    I have to say that I can't talk about C with full authority because I'm not a C programmer, but I don't like it, I don't like curly braces and semicolons.

    Isn't the computer something intended to make things easier for humans? Well, we, the programmers are also humans, and the language must be friendly for us. BASIC is.
    I don't like Pascal either, for the same reason.
    Last edited by Eduardo-; Apr 7th, 2017 at 04:31 AM.

  23. #63
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    4,995

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    With VB, anyone could drop a couple of textboxes in a form, a couple of command buttons, some Inputbox and Msgbox, a couple of If-Then, Val() <,=,>, go to the menu and make the exe, and perhaps do something "advanced" as packaging with the PDW and bring it to a friend, and thought that he was already a programmer.

    It was a bit deceiving because to make a real useful program is a bit far from that, but they were encouraged to stay and study. They saw result almost inmediately, without knowing almost anything.

    It is intuitive, clear, friendly.

  24. #64
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Isn't the computer something intended to make things easier for humans? Well, we, the programmers are also humans, and the language must be friendly for us. BASIC is.
    I don't like Pascal either, for the same reason.
    I've always thought that this sentiment might be the very reason for the popularity of the C family of languages. Groups like to be exclusive, and geeks maybe more than the rest. C syntax languages can look like random gibberish to the uninitiated, and that might be the appeal. Might even be why they can get paid more. If it is incomprehensible, then it MUST be difficult. A language is just a language, and they are all fundamentally the same, but if you can make it look harder, perhaps that's enough to get paid more, or get more respect, or something like that.

    However, C always did have its niche, and still does. It's barely above assembly language, compiles super tiny, and therefore is mostly used for device drivers and embedded things, including microchips like PIC.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  25. #65
    Hyperactive Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Posts
    323

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    The problem with people collaborating on a new VB whatever would be that they'd have to kill each other first, until only one was left. Kind of a Hunger Games scenario. The reason is that a fair number of people want a new version, but once you get talking about what they want in that new version, you find that if there are N people who want a new version, you have N different ideas as to what it should do. So, if anybody ever did create a new version, a few people would be thrilled, a few people would be mildly happy, and a whole bunch of people would be outraged because it didn't include X.
    That's really a pitty.
    It seems that VB7 is not a problem of programming skill, but a problem of communication as well as teamwork
    maybe non-official VB6 Plus authors should do some rewrite work, such as linker/translater and 64 bits dll support
    But I think with no fundings or a strong leader, VB6Plus can hardly appear in the future.

  26. #66
    Lively Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    72

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    As i see around, the problem is about funding and leaders.
    How big open source projects works today? How these amazing open sources projects like Firefox, Chromium, Linux, Ubuntu, Android, Notepad++, Mono ... operating and earn money?
    I see a lot of big open source project on github.com . Should some leaders in vbforums create a project on it and guide peoples how to contribute on it? We will make a compiler first, with input is a .vbp project files and output is a .exe file . And later we can create a simple IDE with the aids of some other open source projects combined, step by step...

  27. #67
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    24,482

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    As far as I can tell the vast majority of non-trivial open source projects are backed by one or more major corporations. Their motivations may vary, but in general it isn't a philanthropic effort by any means.

    Such "new VB" is a far larger effort than you might imagine.

    Some examples of similar efforts include Free Pascal and FreeBASIC. Both of these are many years old and both are pretty crude tools compared to VB6. You have a core compiler and then one or more IDEs of a sort, sometimes using one or more add-on baggages of various widget libraries to make GUI interfaces and each of those may come along with multiple separate "designer" utilities to sort of approach something like the VB6 IDE's designers.

    People drastically underestimate the effort required. But then a lot of "VB programmers" have barely scratched the surface of what VB6 can do.

  28. #68
    PowerPoster yereverluvinuncleber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Norfolk UK (inbred)
    Posts
    2,235

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Can we dream though?

    o A 64bit compiler, not the most important for me but the first on the list as it indicates to the world an advance.
    o An IDE that installs without effort on all Windows?
    o An IDE that works in all respects on the latest versions of Windows without glitches.
    o An enhanced search giving a scrollable list of found results throughout the whole project.
    o An enhanced search and replace allowing exclusions in strings, comments &c
    o A search dialog that doesn't jump all over the place when searching.
    o Transparent form support natively.
    o Native ability to make windowless forms with no menu bars and with methods of controlling same.
    o Support for PNGs with transparencies acting as a button-like control with no pre-defined border
    o A "build" button by default.
    o if-then-else branch lines in the IDE.
    o Line numbering in the IDE so we can jump straight to line as required.
    o Syntax highlighter giving more than just three/four variations in colour
    o IDE Key reassignment to allow our own favourites, eg. CTRL+R instead of CTRL+H
    o Better context menu support within the IDE, rather than the current bolt-on method
    o More data types
    o Native mouse scroll wheel support in compiled VB6 controls
    o Better support for playing WAV, MP3s and other sound types
    o More native support for system and filesystem functions allowing access to system performance data (WMI &c) without having to use Win APIs
    o Objects/elements allowed an .Opacity property from 0 to 255, missing from VB6 currently
    o Native ability to set a cursor type property on any graphical object
    o Non-windowed objects such as labels allowed to sit naturally on top of other objects when given a higher zorder instead of always being beneath... and in so doing, retain their transparency.
    o Tabbed code windows within the IDE.
    o The ability to compile and bind any used OCX into a resulting binary avoiding DLL hell altogether.

    That's it. I don't need any more though of course, many do. If VB6 had advanced in the last few years then some of these would have naturally been added but some are purely my own personal preference and would not please some. A dream nonetheless.
    Last edited by yereverluvinuncleber; Aug 21st, 2019 at 12:31 PM. Reason: Added labels, tabs and OCX binding

  29. #69
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    With a few exceptions, that describes VS2010.

    Most of those are IDE features, and most have been added to versions of VS as it progressed. The one thing that was not added was the one thing that you really wanted: VB6.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  30. #70
    Fanatic Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    894

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    With a few exceptions, that describes VS2010.

    Most of those are IDE features, and most have been added to versions of VS as it progressed. The one thing that was not added was the one thing that you really wanted: VB6.
    I think, languages like VB6 were discontinued by its "compile to native" capabilities, in favor to JIT like, so, as a security measure for having fast reverse engineering, also .NET C++ was switched to JIT?, is to say all the .NET platform, right?...., nobody want hard to dissasemble and undarstand binaries anymore.

  31. #71
    PowerPoster yereverluvinuncleber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Norfolk UK (inbred)
    Posts
    2,235

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker View Post
    With a few exceptions, that describes VS2010.

    Most of those are IDE features, and most have been added to versions of VS as it progressed. The one thing that was not added was the one thing that you really wanted: VB6.
    Well, there you go. I have no experience of the later IDEs so those wishes were just from my head as a user, glad to hear that VS2010 has some good things going for it. Due to my limited programming knowledge and requirements VB6 has all that I need for the moment.

    Which are the exceptions? I'm guessing form transparency, windowless forms, transparent button-like objects, native and easier built-in access to system metrics (WMI)?

  32. #72
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Well, not exactly. After all, .NET Core takes .NET code and produces compiled binaries, so you might be better off saying that everybody DOES want hard to disassemble and understand binaries. We're moving back that way.

    The point behind JIT was not that it could be disassembled, though it could. The idea was that you could create a different JIT compiler for different platforms, and the byte code would then be able to run on different platforms. In other words, the goal was Write Once Run Anywhere. It never really worked out. There was an attempt to create a JIT compiler for Linux, but I'm not sure what came of it. Of course, back then, "Run Anywhere" really meant: Run on Intel processors, because that's all there was at the time, as far as anybody cared. Mac had moved to Intel, Windows was always on Intel, Linux was on Intel, and that was pretty much the market. Then along came Android....
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  33. #73
    Super Moderator Shaggy Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    38,988

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by yereverluvinuncleber View Post
    Well, there you go. I have no experience of the later IDEs so those wishes were just from my head as a user, glad to hear that VS2010 has some good things going for it. Due to my limited programming knowledge and requirements VB6 has all that I need for the moment.

    Which are the exceptions? I'm guessing form transparency, windowless forms, transparent button-like objects, native and easier built-in access to system metrics (WMI)?
    Yeah, perhaps. I think that the transparent button-like objects can be done, and easier access to system metrics is there, but some things are limitations of WinForms. MS tried to get people to switch to something like WPF, which gives the user FAR more control over display and rendering, but at the cost that it isn't nearly as easy. While you still have a form designer, there are just things you can't do in it, and your controls are built up using XAML, which is similar to HTML. If you love HTML...you're probably ready for the loony bin, but you might like XAML, too. For everyone else, it's a pretty jarring change.

    I'm not sure whether the "scrollable list of found matches" is something that you'd say was there or not, and I'd sure like to see that advanced search and replace.

    Actually, I guess some of the features weren't added till after 2010. I've got really mixed feelings about the latest versions (2012 was flat out ugly, no mixed feelings about that). The IDE features are pretty useful...the performance has been steadily falling, though.
    My usual boring signature: Nothing

  34. #74
    PowerPoster yereverluvinuncleber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Norfolk UK (inbred)
    Posts
    2,235

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Well, being a VB6 IDE means it HAS to retain the speed of startup and use. No Uber-bloat required. The speed of the VB6 IDE in comparison with the tortoise-like thing that was meant to replace it was one of the things that dissuaded me at the time. Speed of operation is a given. I was hoping that with the advancement of versions improved speed might be a result especially with the better hardware we have now. More dreams?

  35. #75
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    7,219

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by yereverluvinuncleber View Post
    I have no experience of the later IDEs ...VB6 has all that I need for the moment.
    So I guess, the IDE-enhancments you were "dreaming about" (for the VB6-IDE) were solvable via AddIns?

    Quote Originally Posted by yereverluvinuncleber View Post
    Which are the exceptions? I'm guessing form transparency, windowless forms, transparent button-like objects, native and easier built-in access to system metrics (WMI)?
    Stuff like that is provided (traditionally, no matter what IDE or language you are using) via (graphics-)Libraries.

    For VB6, that means that (for all of your above requirements) you could use:
    - Flat-libs (as e.g. opengl, cairo, GDI, GDIPlus, etc.)
    - or COM-libs/wrappers (as DirectX, Direct2D, DirectWrite - or vbRichClient5)

    If you want it convenient (with few lines-of-code, intellisense and without any API-declares),
    the RC5-lib allows stuff like in the ScreenShot below:



    The above Demo-App was implemented in about 120 lines of code - and shows:
    - your (PNG-based) "borderless Windows" -
    - allows rotation of the "globe-angle" (via the RC5-MouseWheel-Support)
    - is DPI-aware (Screen-Resolution-independent) and allows Zooming (via <Ctrl>+MouseWheel)

    So your "dreams" are (for the most part) reality (already for a decade or more)...

    Olaf

  36. #76
    PowerPoster yereverluvinuncleber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Norfolk UK (inbred)
    Posts
    2,235

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Well, that's a positive then.

    If you have any good suggestions for good quality add-ins that can do some or all of that then please suggest on! I'll always take a quality suggestion.

    I'd love to see the code from the steampunk earth. It might lead me to better things. Please supply.

    PS I was already guessing that much of what I might have 'dreamt' of is actually already possible in VB6, but sometimes it is nicer to have it closer to home, built-in as it were. I am used to some of that in the other tools I use.

    I do like it when my post stimulates something positive.

  37. #77
    Fanatic Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Posts
    596

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Instead of wishing writing a new IDE.

    I think the MOST import is the compiler.
    If we could have a compiler that could compile VB6 to 32 & 64 bits.

    Then after, it will be easier to enhance the Visual Studio 2010-to the last with addins to use VB6 inside

  38. #78
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    7,219

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Thierry69 View Post
    I think the MOST import is the compiler.
    If we could have a compiler that could compile VB6 to 32 & 64 bits.

    Then after, it will be easier to enhance the Visual Studio 2010-to the last with addins to use VB6 inside
    Well, in that case one could start right now - let's just play these thoughts through, till the end...
    Because we already have a 100% VB6-compatible 32bit-compiler available...

    VB6.exe can be shelled - and compiles VB6-code just fine - so, no problem right?
    Now, let's just start working to integrate this 100% VB6-compatible compiler into VS2010:
    - using Add-Ins, written in .NET
    - and using GUI-libraries, written in .NET (because the .NET-IDE Form-Designers expect System.Drawing, .NET-Winforms and/or WPF)
    - thereby making use of an IDE-environment, which most here priorily used as one of the reasons, "why we have to stick with VB6" (because it's so big and slow)
    - perhaps, after spending man-years of efforts, one can achieve "some integration, that kinda works" (more or less)
    - but of course (since you were using Win-only libs and GUI-tools) you are now bound to the windows-platform
    - relying on a big, closed-source IDE-Blob from a vendor, most of us have already found "cannot be trusted"

    Any takers (and later on, "users") for this "cobbled together mess"?
    I guess, no.

    Hopefully, you see the problem (which is not the compiler, but I'm repeating myself).

    Olaf

  39. #79
    Fanatic Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Posts
    596

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Olaf, I think the IDE is not the most important.
    How many people are still coding (not only VB6) using Notepad?
    Sometimes I use Notepad ++ to go faster in development, not only VB6 but other languages.

    For me the missing things with VB6 is 64bits compilation, targeting natively WEB, other OS ,etc...

  40. #80
    PowerPoster
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    7,219

    Re: How about we make a VB7 (upgrade version of VB6)

    Quote Originally Posted by Thierry69 View Post
    I think the IDE is not the most important.
    I think it is - because it's the thing (together with a decent GUI-lib and Form-engine-lib),
    which makes a given Basic-compiler "Visual".

    Quote Originally Posted by Thierry69 View Post
    How many people are still coding (not only VB6) using Notepad?
    In that case, you've missed FreeBasic.
    A nice, (in the meantime quite stable) OpenSource Basic-compiler (32- and 64bit)
    - which is compatible with VB6-code in many areas (including the Declare statement-syntax + "a Long-Type is a Long-Type", etc...)
    - it is also already platform-independent
    - and usable with Notepad++ of course (+ a few other "community-provided" IDEs)

    So, there you have a nice Basic-Compiler - why don't you use it (although it's out there for years)?

    Could it be as I said already, that (for a Visual Basic), the compiler is not the problem?

    Olaf

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  



Click Here to Expand Forum to Full Width