Dumb question

[Naomi1]

Does anyone forsee a day in which vb6 apps or older versions of SQL (sql 7 for example) will cease to work or no longer be supported on newer operating systems, or by the release of some new service pack ? The reason im asking is because im self taught (vbforums taught ) and feel that i have so much more to learn before tackling .NET (or Delphi, still debating) and i don't know if i should simply abandon vb6 and follow the migration to .NET or continue my meager education.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[mar_zim]

if i were you..i would go .NET.

the new evolution of man is near..


keep busy.

[visualAd]

If you are unsure learn both. Delphi is also a good language to learn. Although I have not done any .NET programming I will soon be downloading Mono, which is a Linux port of .NEt (C# I think). It is definatley the way to go though, not sure why


You do realise you have probably started off another one of those VB6 v's VB.NET debates

[mendhak]

Originally posted by Naomi1
Does anyone forsee a day in which vb6 apps or older versions of SQL (sql 7 for example) will cease to work or no longer be supported on newer operating systems, or by the release of some new service pack ? The reason im asking is because im self taught (vbforums taught ) and feel that i have so much more to learn before tackling .NET (or Delphi, still debating) and i don't know if i should simply abandon vb6 and follow the migration to .NET or continue my meager education.

You're right. Let's all quit our jobs and become pan handlers... while we still have the chance!

[Merri]

As long as Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2k/XP are commonly used, there is no reason to abandon VB6, imo. Longhorn is coming 2006 and it won't even be fully featured by then, merely like a test version. Also, Longhorn programming appears to be very, VERY different from current Windowses, I'm afraid even .NET programs might not work too well on it... as Microsoft appears to be abandoning their strong point: backwards compatibility.

[wossname]

Originally posted by Naomi1
and feel that i have so much more to learn before tackling .NET.
...

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

I think my coding career started out like yours. I taught myself through pure USAGE of vb4 & vb6. I came to VBF (then Vbworld) in 1999. Learned LOADS in a short time.

You have an advantage though! When you learn .Net you have to unlearn almost everything you learned about VB6. VB6 is not Object Orientated. This is very important, OO is a tough topic to handle if you are used to VB6 programming.

I honestly urge you to stop VB6 now and start .Net asap. If your ultimate goal is to learn to program for windows, then go to .net now.
Learning VB6 will be a step in the wrong direction.

I have managed to learn .net to a good degree and now I have major difficulties getting VB6 to do even the simplest thing! Forget coding classes in VB6, its just impossible.

VB.Net is what I would go for if I were you right now.

[dglienna]

as soon as i finish my vb app, i plan to begin its .net replacement. hopefully the former will run until the latter is finished.

[CORONA BEER]

Originally posted by Naomi1
The reason im asking is because im self taught (vbforums taught ) and feel that i have so much more to learn before tackling .NET (or Delphi, still debating)
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Well, if you know vb then there is no reason not to go with Delphi, it may look strange at first because unlike vb it is based on a real programming language; you get used to the syntax and then it all makes sense.

no offence to anyone who has built up a large vb codebase

[Naomi1]

Originally posted by dglienna
as soon as i finish my vb app, i plan to begin its .net replacement. hopefully the former will run until the latter is finished.

Is this really the case though ? I mean is it feasable that one day it would not run ? Im sure .NET has it's advantages but if i knew that VB6 would still function in the long term, i honestly wouldn't bother with .NET and continue with VB6 until i felt that i had a grasp and then move on at my own pace .. but it's like there's so much hype and panic that i feel pressured to abandon everything ive learned and start from scratch as if VB will soon be redundant and possibly not function. I wonder if this is really the case or just agressive marketing, although from the perspective of a programmer employed in the field, there really would be no question, but from my perspective, i just don't see the benefit of starting over unless i knew that the language was truly dead or dying.. if that's even possible. I don't think ive heard of a language that started out on Windows but then ceased to work on newer Windows OS's.. unless like Merri said, Microsoft seems to be abandoning their strong point: backwards compatibility.

[mendhak]

Originally posted by Naomi1
Is this really the case though ? I mean is it feasable that one day it would not run ? Im sure .NET has it's advantages but if i knew that VB6 would still function in the long term, i honestly wouldn't bother with .NET and continue with VB6 until i felt that i had a grasp and then move on at my own pace .. but it's like there's so much hype and panic that i feel pressured to abandon everything ive learned and start from scratch as if VB will soon be redundant and possibly not function. I wonder if this is really the case or just agressive marketing, although from the perspective of a programmer employed in the field, there really would be no question, but from my perspective, i just don't see the benefit of starting over unless i knew that the language was truly dead or dying.. if that's even possible. I don't think ive heard of a language that started out on Windows but then ceased to work on newer Windows OS's.. unless like Merri said, Microsoft seems to be abandoning their strong point: backwards compatibility.

It's like this:

As a personal preference you could stay with VB6. Yes, all will work. You can do whatever you need to, everyone is happy and smoking joints.

Now, try to think of a couple years down the line. When you're looking for a job. By then, VB6 support will be as thin as Mick Jagger, and finding a job will be much more difficult. That's because eventually all companies that work with and use Microsoft technologies will have moved to the .NET platform (or bandwagon). That's where a knowledge of VB.NET will help you.

So nobody's threatening your current knowledge and practices.

Second, don't go by the hype and scare being generated. If any of it was true, none of us VB6ers would have been able to learn VB.NET. And I can pretty much tell you, what you've learnt in VB6 will not become redundant. While it's true that a newbie to programming would have a steadier learning curve than a VB6er migrating to VB.NET, the VB6er's learning curve will be more-or-less exponential. Because of what he or she already knows in VB6.

Third, I was able to learn VB.NET without many problems. Does that quell all your fears?

Finally, if you still choose not to leave VB6, I'll join you as a panhandler. I suggest we work downtown Vancouver. I have a couple friends who've thought well ahead...

[Merri]

Well, as long as you know someone else who uses the language and someone who uses pre-Longhorn Windows, you basically have someone to code for. At the moment, all the current Windows users in the world. It is over a year until Longhorn comes and it will take years for it to take markets even with an aggressive marketing. And if it turns out not to be a success (not as big success as it should), we'll be in a completely new situatation. Imo, it isn't yet the time to switch language based on something we don't know or can't be sure about. Sooner or later there must be a point where Microsoft can't always say what you must use now - I'm not too much against Microsoft, but I don't like the way they're going now.

A lot depends on what happens in the near future. Linux is still too far from Windows on many areas on which I use Windows a lot. Though, I've heard of some Linux-based basic languages and apparently they might be good. But personally I'm still far from switching to Linux: I've instealled it a few times (various distributions), but it never really has caught me as there is too many things to bother - it isn't even easy to change from 60 Hz to 100 Hz! Geez, what an amateur OS. But as I said: a lot depends on the future. If Longhorn is bad, I either continue using XP for years and consider changing to Linux for real.

Note that I'm talking from the point of a hobbyist programmer.

[Naomi1]

Originally posted by mendhak
I was able to learn VB.NET without many problems. Does that quell all your fears?

Yes, thank you for quelling my fears.

Originally posted by mendhak
I if you still choose not to leave VB6, I'll join you as a panhandler. I suggest we work downtown Vancouver. I have a couple friends who've thought well ahead...

im afraid again.

[Merri]

Don't worry, I'm here to cook the frog when the time comes

[mendhak]

Originally posted by Merri
Don't worry, I'm here to cook the frog when the time comes

It's situations like these that make me glad I'm so full of ****.

[Merri]

Well, of course all the **** will be taken out before cooking. While you're still alive

[dglienna]

You'd be surprised at the number of Windows 3.1 users still running DOS apps in the US. I mean LOTS of them figure 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'

[Naomi1]

well ive decided to move over to Sandpaper V1.4 with Structured Quacking Language as a back end.

So long suckers.

[BodwadUK]

Remove the s*** and all you would have left is the frogs legs


I want to learn .net but dont have the go or use yet because I know VB6 too well and I work in it. If I was you I would learn VB.net before you get too lazy and do all your apps in a language you know e.g VB6

[~*McoreD*~]

If you are unsure learn both. Delphi is also a good language to learn. Although I have not done any .NET programming I will soon be downloading Mono, which is a Linux port of .NEt (C# I think). It is definatley the way to go though, not sure why :

Can I please ask a dumb question too? I won't some of my utilities to work in Linux too. If I use Mono, can I simply copy and paste my C# code to a new Mono Project and build an executable that will run in Linux (so it will be easy as running the Firefox executable in Linux).

Cheers,
McoreD

[mendhak]

You can also take the assembly (containign the MSIL) and it should (theoretically) run on Mono.

[dglienna]

I won't drop VB, but when the program is in the can, I don't think I'll have to mess with it again. Rather than start again to re-write in VB to make it better, I think I should use 'Net. 1) as I have a copy, and 2) it runs on a PDA, so I will design that fact into it.