Some simple theory questions

hi everyone!
can someone tell me
1. What is Visual Basic? (not definition)
2. advantage and disadvantage of VB compare to others programming language.
thanks

1 Visual basic is the windows-version of basic with all of the windows options (API-calls, standard msgbox ) and many more
2 VB has a easy to learn syntax, but the code generated is not the most effective or smallest

I assume u'ven't learn VB yet. So u better off going learn either
C++,C# or VB.net
Though many said C++ may be a bit hard, but trust me, it's also
like VB, whereby u can drag and drop those object and controls,
besides these, yes the programming path is a bit curve, but it's
worth it.
If u really learn VB, by the time u go on sumthin' advance, u
suddenly realised that VB ain't that gr8... if u r like me, learn VB
first than other languages, u'll find it difficult to convert to other
languages. now I regret 'bout that...:)
Believe me learn other languages

I have to agree with Jian.

If you haven't learned a language yet learn C++ or Java.

Advantage of Java it is OS independent.
C++ faster and better than VB.

With VB it is easy to debug, VB tells you where you made a mistake (mostly)

C++ harder to debug, you got to think more (my opinion) and that is not so negative.

I also would say learn C++ first, but for a slightly different reason. C++ seems to be the superset for all other programming languages. VB is more block structured, and not truly object oriented, but you can write C++ as if it were like VB, whereas you can't write VB as if it were C++ (till .NET).

Basically, if you learn C++, you can move to any other language easily. If you learn VB, you would have to learn about pointers and object oriented programming to move to C++, C, Java, and several others.

Nobody uses ALL of C++, not even Microsoft. Everybody uses some subset of that language which they need. VB is effectively a subset of a language, and is thus smaller and quicker to learn.

I learned C++ first, but do most of my work in VB just because it is so quick to get an idea up and running.

If you look at some of Microsoft's benchmarking for COM+ you will fnd that some of their COM components were written in VB/ASP NOT C++, yet they broke all sorts of transaction processing records that Mainframe/Oracle etc cannot even come close too [TPS is the industry standard]

You only need to use C++ if you need real-time performance (in which case you should be looking at assembly language - does no one in here know how much overhead C++ uses to implement it's pseudo OO methodology?) or if you need multi-threading (such as responsive GUI application programming)

Incidentally, Microsodt claim that the speed at which SQL Server works is down to extensive use of published Win API - not custom written code. In VB you can use the publisehd API . . .

You CAN achieve good multi-threading in VB, but it becomes a bit of a pain in the arse the further you go into it.

Either way all modern Microsoft languages compile down into IL in .NET. C#/VB etc which means they all execute the same language, the same functions, the same libraries etc - so efficiency, and ability is becoming less of an issue between languages.

A language is only as good as the compiler and it's syntax - no matter who is programming it - so avoid the compiler and write in opcodes!! only joking . . .

C++ is not a panacea language (it is for those who believe the marketing, of course) It is a superset of C, and there is nothing you can do in C++ that you cannot do in C, or many other languages - it's just that C++ is popular - you can get a job that pays good rates (I know, I've got one)

Your employer might appreciate you being able to deliver a business object that works first time (near enough) and functions reasonably well within it's scope (I'm not down to measuring nanoseconds. yet) but is delivered in a week rather than a month.

If you want to LEARN to program use Ada or Modula2 - learn the basis of Sequence/Selection/Iteration before yoe learn For n=1 to 10.

If you want to be productive at work use VB. If you need speed/efficiency use C++/C/Assembly.

If you want a challenge use hex op-codes.

Incidentally, contrary to everything I've just said ILAsm is very interesting, and is worth a good look - an object oriented (of sorts) assembly language ;)

As an addendum the first major system ever written in C++ that was mass marketed was Win95A followed by Win95B then we ran out of '95,'96 so we had Win '98 followed by Win ME - oops Year 2000 - new operating system for the new millenium (let's fix the bugs too from the old NT4 - and perhaps even stop thunking 16bit code) I wonder if the kernel was re-written? and how many times they looked jealously over to the Linux camp (and their source code)

Only joking.

The n-tier VB/COM+/SQL is an excellent platform for DELIVERING enterprise solutions. You WILL need to learn C++ for those horrible algorithms your financial director wants . . .

hi

1. What is Visual Basic? (not definition)
Visual basic as already answered is windows version of old QBasic and GWBasic language, those old language havn't maded for commericial use and they've been free including dos operating...

2. advantage and disadvantage of VB compare to others programming language.
thanks


advantage
-easy to learn
-fast production
-object oriented
-easy to integrate with windows rather than other visual (specially with .net API calling is easy as hell)
-language is near human language
-alot of ready-to-go tools to

disadvantage
-big runtim files
-slowest software comparing other language (this is weakness if you're releasing commericial software)
-none independent exe files

S. Mohammad Najafi
PS: I know its abit old post but I thought its good to know for others

Advantage/Disadvantage: Sums up to the concept of Rapid Application Development (RAD). You might want to look that up.