Is .NET really worth converting to?

Are there any big advantages for VB.NET over VB 6???

I would say the major advantage for me is that I am writing less code. I don't have to use the API for a lot of stuff I would normally have to with VB6. I have a lot more control. I can easily add a property to a button with about 5 lines of code plus the logic. It's things like that that make working with .Net fun for me.

I think there is very little that you can't do with VB6 that you could with .Net, but there are many advantages besides what you can do. Like I said, the class library alone saves me many hours of coding. Resizing forms is much easier now, you barely have to write any code.

I would say make the switch. Based on the limitations of past versions of Visual Basic.(Poor error handling, Poor intergration with other languages, No inheritance, No multithreading, No effective user interface for web based applications) Visual Basic .Net would be the way to go.

I read a statement from a VB journal mag, and I completly agree with it.

The question is not should I convert to .Net, but when do I convert to .Net.

I use both VB6 + .Net and have to say that now I think VB6 is naff :).

The IDE for .Net is amazing, I would move just for that.
The extra OOP classes you can get your hands on saves ages in code and testing (inheritence is my fav, reuse of tested code saves hours if not days). It gives you all the power you need to do anything, you just need to know more about OOP then before and how to use it (grab a course or an one day event, they show you all it does).

You should be able to move between platforms easier (when its done :)) so integrating with unix/linux should give benefits.


Final word from me: get it now.