VB6 Obsolete with 64bit PCs

[agmorgan]

I realise that MS is pulling support from VB6 in 2005 (2008?)
However, what I am more concerned about is will VB6 work on PCs with 64 bit processors?

If not, then surely the lifetime of your work is dependent on when your company upgrades its PCs?

Mind you, the company I work for has only just managed to get rid of all its
Win95 PCs for Win2k machines so I should be alright for a while

[si_the_geek]

The official details of VB support:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbasic/support/vb6.aspx


It sounds as if they intend to not release any service packs after March 31, 2005. I reckon a service pack would be needed to support 64 bit, so it all depends on whether a 64-bit service pack is released before then (which probably needs a 64-bit OS first).

[Bombdrop]

The advent of new processors and opperating systems within the Ms enviroment will be be the biggest killer for VB6. Some even rekon that changes in windows longhorn will even mean some rewritting of .Net applications

[agmorgan]

I thought I'd drag this up again since VB6 support has now stopped and some people have 64 bit machines.

Does VB6 work when you have a 64 bit processor and Windows x64?

Has anyone tried installing it?

[ThaRubby]

90% sure my friend installed it on a 64 bit.

[Hack]

At the moment, I don't know anyone that has a 64bit machine (I know none of my company's clients do, and there isn't one in my entire company).

Are all the PC vendors rolling out 64bit machines these days?

[shragel]

Why wouldn't it run.

[techgnome]

Hack - as far as I know only high-end server machines are shipping 64bit, and even that's limited until 64bit OSs are available.

ThaRubby -mmm.... unless he's running it on a server machine with a beta OS.... not likely.

shragel - for the same rteason 16bit apps don't work in WinXP (or 2000 or even 98 and 95 for that matter) -- memory addressing is different as is the register architecture.

Tg
but I could be wrong about any of the above... it's been known to happen.

[si_the_geek]

I'm pretty sure one of the Mod's has tested on XP Pro. 64 beta and said that there are no issues.

XP Pro. x64 is available as an exchange from XP Pro here (and has been for a month or so).
There is also a 120 day trial version available here.


My PC is 64bit (AMD Athlon64) but the OS isn't, as I read on the MS site that it is only recommended to upgrade if you have a specific requirement to do so (and the licencing terms imply that you couldn't downgrade later - but I could be wrong!).

If I find the time (probably not!) I'll look at the trial version.

[Mike Stefanik]

32-bit Windows applications will continue to work on 64-bit systems; however, my understanding is that 16-bit code won't. So if you're still using 16-bit Windows applications under WoW, those will be need to be rewritten/replaced.

[BrianHawley]

It seems very unlikely that VB6 apps (which are a significant proportion of all applications in use today) will not run under future MS operating systems. Remember you can still run most DOS applications under XP. The question I think is whether your users will want to or not. And I would guess that compatability, as it did with DOS programs, would depend on coding the original app 'according to doctrine', e.g. not doing anything 'smart', like using undocumented OS features, addressing h/w directly, etc.

[[FPI]Stiffen]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but im running retail Windows XP Pro x64 edition and Visual Studio 6 works. Also all my programs coded in VB6 work fine, no issues here, totally compatible.

[iPrank]

Welcome to the forums [FPI]Stiffen !

Thanks for your post.

IMO, even if 64 bit OS supports VB6, the 32bit compiler can't give the speed of newer 64bit compilers. VB6 will die in a way or other.