Is VB6 still in use of programmers?

[ARB_Rauf]

Can anyone tell me that VB6 is still in use of programmers because I am going to learn programming as hobby also confused what version learn to start with whether VB6 or VB2008?

[akhileshbc]

Hi... Welcome to the forums...

VB6 is old. I think you can start learning the latest VB.Net ie. VB2010.

[si_the_geek]

VB6 (aka VB 1998) is used less and less over time, and we don't know yet if VB6 programs will work at all on the next version of Windows. It is unsupported, so will not be upgraded etc.

The recent versions of VB are supported, and they also have lots of extra features built in (such as minimising to the area next to the clock, and many more) that take quite a bit of effort in VB6.

It can be hard to switch from one to the other, but as a beginner I don't think either is harder than the other - as such I recommend to go straight to the latest version, which you can get for free from www.microsoft.com/Express

[ARB_Rauf]

Thanks Mr.Akhileshbc
Is there any difference between VB.Net i.e 2010 and VB 2008?

[si_the_geek]

VB2002 and later are all VB.Net, VB2010 is the most recent version which adds a few more features on top of VB2008.

[SomeStormOutThere]

there are free versions of VB5 and VB2008
try them both and chose which one you like
I think VB5 is better in my opinion
keep in mind that the .NET frame work takes more space than vb 5 or 6 runtime
Note sometimes you can modify vb5 exe or ocx to use vb6 runtime
vb5 and 6 take up a lot less space than .Net
and vb5 and 6 can be run from a usb

vb6 works on react os
http://www.reactos.org/media/screens.../app_vb_01.png
taken with 2005 react os it will work much better in 2009 react os
future compatibility is no problem

[Renovator]

There are many programming languages. From assembler to whatever came out ten minutes ago. They all work in a similar manner. The differences expand like branches on a tree. Choose a branch you are comfortable with and you will find it easier to accomplish whatever task it is you wish to perform. Personally I am most comfortable with VB6.

[Nightwalker83]

VB6 (aka VB 1998) is used less and less over time, and we don't know yet if VB6 programs will work at all on the next version of Windows. It is unsupported, so will not be upgraded etc.

Yeah, but we still have about ten years of Win7 to look forward too.

[Renovator]

I joined VBForums in 2008 and I had friends tell me it was on it's way out then, so how can it have been released in 2008? Please educate me.

[Nightwalker83]

I joined VBForums in 2008 and I had friends tell me it was on it's way out then, so how can it have been released in 2008? Please educate me.

What are you referring to VB6?

[Renovator]

Oops, My bad. "VB6 (aka VB 1998) is used less and less over time" and "there are free versions of VB5 and VB2008" misread like VB6 (2008).
My mind skips over things like that sometimes. Self-misinformation. Again, my bad. Take it easy it's just a decade.

[Nightwalker83]

Also, the method in VB.net is completely different to vb6 so if you want to convert you programs between .net and vb 6 it is best to rewrite them.

[SomeStormOutThere]

ten years of Win7 maybe because it has XP mode "Free xp with special packs of windows 7" maybe Win8 too
Windows 7 the ONLY cerial with a prize

An eternity of windows xp
windows 98 is still alive too if you don't believe me
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/

The code will live on for what seems like forever
react os seems to work ok
you can even swap out parts of react os and put them in Windows 95 and all made after
by replacing system dlls and stuff be care full if you do because some things break

maybe react os When its a bit better will replace windows

[Renovator]

I agree, I am trying to convert, but am having quite some difficulty with it. ie: PictureBox1.Line(x1,y1)-(x2,y2),Color translates to some Graphics.ConvolutedStuff.ThenWhat.Where'sHelp?.VBForums.com and that makes the simplest of Things.To.Do more complicated. Correct me if I'm wrong?

[Edgemeal]

I agree, I am trying to convert, but am having quite some difficulty with it. ie: PictureBox1.Line(x1,y1)-(x2,y2),Color translates to some Graphics.ConvolutedStuff.ThenWhat.Where'sHelp?.VBForums.com and that makes the simplest of Things.To.Do more complicated. Correct me if I'm wrong?

Yes it can be frustrating going from VB6 to .net, much of the syntax is different but it is also much more powerful and feature rich. The intellisense in VB10 is awesome, and the help has a lot of code examples, as a VB classic user when you get stuck on the syntax just search,.. 9 times out of 10 you'll find the question has already been asked and answered.

I love VB6 but anyone wanting to start writing window apps on MS basic now would be better off trying VB 2010 Express, its a pretty amazing product for free.

[akhileshbc]

I love VB6 but anyone wanting to start writing window apps on MS basic now would be better off trying VB 2010 Express, its a pretty amazing product for free.

Me too...

[Doogle]

... and that makes the simplest of Things.To.Do more complicated. Correct me if I'm wrong?

The thing that frustrates me is the new 'Jargon' that has come along with .NET. The syntax is not an issue, every Language has its syntax and it's just a matter of getting used to it. No, things like "Overloaded Parameters" and "Delegates" are my issue - I'll have to buy a .NET Dictionary perhaps - my guess is that they're new words for old ideas.

Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure I really understand structured programming!

Just as well I'm now a 'hobbiest' programmer and don't have to make a living from it. Whatever happened to the good old Mainframe days and programming in 370 Assembler ? - ah those were the days.......

[Max Peck]

Just as well I'm now a 'hobbiest' programmer and don't have to make a living from it. Whatever happened to the good old Mainframe days and programming in 370 Assembler ? - ah those were the days.......

Heh ... yeah. You're referring to the days where computers were computers, not appliances! I miss those days too, sometimes. OTOH, though, the things you can put together with VS.Net make it tough to want to go back to them old days.

Unlike you I *do* make a living from it. The best part about it, though, is that I get paid well to do something I'd do anyway.

-Max :-)

[techgnome]

Overloaded Parameters and Delegates are nothing new... at least to programming. They are something new to VB though. Overloaded Parameters (actually the more correct term is Overloaded Methods) ... is probably best described as a variation of the Optional Parameters option in VB... only instead of making the parameters optional, you can create the same function with different parameter signatures. Then at runtime, based on the parameters passed in, it will make the determination on which version to call.

Delegates ... depending on the type of programming you have been doing, you have been using delegates w/o realizing it... any time you use an API that has a callback and you pass it the AddressOf some function ... that's a delegate... Formally it is defined as a pointer to some given function. In a sense Event Handlers are a form of delegate... it's just that it is hidden from you by VB.

As for the future... the merging is only going to get worse. Businesses will continue to use some form of desktop... but at home, we'll all have TVs that will let us update You Twit Face and have tablets or something like the iPhone... but the days of desktops at home as we know them are numbered.

-tg

[Shaggy Hiker]

This is a fun thread. People are wandering all over the place in terms and usage. Mainframes, ASM, the future viability of Windows 7, VB6, and even some mention of a free version of VB5 (welcome to the mid-90s).

.NET moved VB over to the OO paradigm. In general, the terminology used is taken from older OO languages like C++ (which is probably the most commonly used OO language, but probably initiated few, if any, of the terms used in OO). These terms are new to the VB world, but not new to programming...except Delegate, which is probably just there so that VB would not have the word "pointer" in it. It's just a function pointer.

[chris128]

I cant believe people are even suggesting VB6 to someone just starting to learn programming... Fair enough all you people that have used VB6 for years and are comfortable with it still wanting to use it, but why suggest a 10 year old unsupported language to someone who is about to learn from scratch??

[dilettante]

I cant believe people are even suggesting VB6 to someone just starting to learn programming... Fair enough all you people that have used VB6 for years and are comfortable with it still wanting to use it, but why suggest a 10 year old unsupported language to someone who is about to learn from scratch??

Actually the language still has wide support in the sense that VB6, VBA, and the subset VBScript use the same programming language.

The VB6 IDE, compiler, and surrounding ecosystem is another matter.


I'm not disagreeing though, and I encourage all newcomers to try greener pastures. I'm unconvinced VB.Net or C# are the answer but they're no worse and as good as just about anything else still current.

[SomeStormOutThere]

this is not very relevant but
i found a beta of vb5
<removed by moderator> set calender back to 1996

latest release install after you uninstall the beta to fix any problems
<removed by moderator>

THE EASTER EGG WORKS

oh and use it on a virtual pc
there are lots of bugs in this beta some can give you a blue screen and crash your computer
that bug was fixed in the new vb5 cce tho

the following is a text file you get with the beta

Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition Beta 1
Below is the list of know issues for this beta release of Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition [VB5 CCE]. Please review it carefully before using this product. Though every effort is made to list all open issues, there are some that have not been documented yet. Please report bugs not listed here using the support form provided at http://www.microsoft.com/vbasic/controls/resource.

INSTALLATION ISSUES

Extra erroneous registry key created when Visual Basic Control Creation Edition sample controls installed
In addition to the bonafide registry key for a sample control, the following erroneous extra registry key is created when you install the CCE sample controls:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{0DE86A52-2BAA-11CF-A229-00AA003D7352}.
This key causes a blank item to show up in the list of ActiveX controls displayed in Access95 and VB4, and causes an "object server not registered" error message when you open the Custom Controls dialog in Visual Basic Control Creation Edition. It can be removed with the RegEdit utility.
Visual Basic setup doesn't register file types
When you setup Visual Basic, it doesn't automatically associate the Visual Basic-specific file extensions with Visual Basic. You can associate the file extensions yourself, though, through the File Types tab in the Options dialog box in File Explorer. (To get this, choose Options from the View menu in File Explorer.)
Visual Basic 5.0 beta 1 and beta 2 issues
If you are a member of the Visual Basic 5.0 beta program and are installing Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition on a computer with beta 1 or beta 2 of VB 5, building Internet CAB files with Application Setup Wizard may produce non-usable CAB files. The problem is that the ComCtl32.DEP and ComDlg32.DEP files are not updated correctly by the Control Creation beta 1 install. The solution is to delete these two .DEP files from the Windows system directory and reinstall the Control Creation Edition.
Uninstalling Office97 betas may cause VB5 CCE to be disabled
Office97 betas and VB5 CCE beta 1 share certain registry settings. If Offic97 beta is uninstalled, it may cause VB5 CCE to not load. Reinstall VB5 CCE to fix the problem. Future Office97 release will not exhibit this problem

i am not posting the full thing so download it if you want to see it all
use 7-zip to open the exe if you dont want to install you may need it for the .7z archive any way

[techgnome]

I'm not sure about this... but do we need to discuss the legality of this?

-tg

[SomeStormOutThere]

legality of this

Microsoft released it for free here is proof
http://web.archive.org/web/199910131...asic/vbcce.asp

http://web.archive.org/web/200304290...e/default.aspx

http://www.thevbzone.com/vbcce.htm

the beta was free trial

not really much to discuss
but there is vb6 working model edition and PORTABLE HACK vb6 portable to discuss if anyone wants to

[dilettante]

VB5 CCE really was released for free use. You don't need to monkey with flaky beta versions but the released version can be hard to come by now. I don't think Microsoft hosts the free downloads anymore.

There were about 3 pieces: the main software package and two downloads for the online Help. It was a sort of crippled version of VB5 Standard Edition that could compile and save OCX projects but not EXEs.

The idea was to show how easily ActiveX controls could be created for use in Web sites via IE. Aside from that it was really more of a toy than anything else though one might have been able to treat it as a QBasic replacement.

INFO: VB5 FAQ: Visual Basic 5.0 Control Creation Edition

[si_the_geek]

legality of this

Microsoft released it for free here is proof
...

That does not mean that you are allowed to distribute it (including the beta), so I have removed the links from your post.

but there is vb6 working model edition

There is indeed, which is available with several VB6 based books - however it is severely limited, in addition to the other issues with VB6.

and PORTABLE HACK vb6 portable to discuss if anyone wants to

That is pirate software, and therefore there are limits as to how far it can be discussed on this site.

Using illegal software (which is likely to contain malware) when there is a superior and legitimately free alternative (VB.Net Express) is a rather foolish move.

[SomeStormOutThere]

i am sure it was a redistributable

"there is a superior and legitimately free alternative"
You Fan Boy

[si_the_geek]

i am sure it was a redistributable

Unless you have official documentation from Microsoft to say that you are allowed to distribute it (and now, rather than only up to a specific date), I'm afraid it doesn't matter what you think - it should be treated as illegal until proven otherwise.

"there is a superior and legitimately free alternative"
You Fan Boy

The 'portable edition' has several large limitations that are admitted, plus other limitations and flaws that you are likely to find. Being a cut-down VB6 means that it also has the limitations of the legal editions of VB6, such as lack of Unicode support and many more.

If being aware of that (and not being a thief) makes me a fanboy, so be it.

[techgnome]

i am sure it was a redistributable

"there is a superior and legitimately free alternative"
You Fan Boy

HA! Fan boy... surely you jest... *sips Kool-Aid* I don't think so...

-tg

[SomeStormOutThere]

documentation from Microsoft extract

controls included with the Visual Basic 5 Control Creation Edition may be distributed royalty-free.
You may be able to distribute other ActiveX controls, .EXE files, and .DLLs

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/165524

my links were to a site mirroring the files

microsoft moved vb5cce installer in 2004 and again last year i don't know where to so maybe they deleted it im not shure

http://www.freebasic.net/
what the hell why didn't anyone not mention stuff like free basic

There is Envelop and rapid q to mention
There is a serious bug with ocx in Envelop tho
http://envelop.tk/

[si_the_geek]

That snippet (and the KB page it came from) has absolutely no relevance to the distribution of VB5 CCE itself.

[SomeStormOutThere]

extract from eula
you may permit further redistribution of the REDISTRIBUTABLES by your distributors to your end-user customers if your distributors only distribute the REDISTRIBUTABLES in conjunction with, and as part of, your Application and you and your distributors comply with all other terms of this EULA

also you could use VB5CCE ocx controls to use vb5/6 code in an inferior Ide and compiler

[si_the_geek]

The term redistributables typically means the same as the quote in your previous post, and I wouldn't be surprised if that last snippet was included in the Enterprise edition of VB5 too.

Unless you have an extremely explicit statement that you are allowed to distribute VB5 CCE itself (not the kind of things you have been posting so far, which all need very hopeful interpretation), you should not even begin to think that you are allowed to distribute it.

also you could use VB5CCE ocx controls to use vb5/6 code in an inferior Ide and compiler

If you are referring to .Net as inferior, you clearly haven't used the IDE at all - because it only takes a few seconds to realise that it is clearly superior to the VB5 and VB6 IDE's.

While I still use VB6 very regularly and still think it is great, I don't pretend that the replacement (which I use less regularly, but still fairly often) must be bad simply because it is different.

[techgnome]

The redistributables mean things like the VBRun Libraries... the controls... the stuff required to get an app that you've built using VB5 to run. The IDE IS NOT A REDISTRIBUTABLE...

-tg

[SomeStormOutThere]

If you are referring to .Net as inferior, you clearly haven't used the IDE at all
its more of a grudge against .NET it installed wrong and ruined an xp had to install xp again
they probably fixed it now but it still takes up a lot more space than vb5/6 runtimes
because it only takes a few seconds to realise that it is clearly superior to the VB5 and VB6 IDE's.

"superior" disk space consumer yes some express versions come with a downloader
and i have used it and i like vb5 better

"While I still use VB6 very regularly and still think it is great"

i am still useing vb5 because its all i need
i dont even see what the big deal with vb6 was
i like vb5 because you can easily modify some ocx and exe files to use vb6 runtime
most people already have vb5 and or 6 runtime vb5 and 6 run on all 32 bit windows any way

and .NET FORCES you to have Internet explorer
i hate internet explorer because not only is it a terrible browser
every other browser is better
when M$ made version 4 it was extremely difficult to remove on all later versions


The redistributables mean things like the VBRun Libraries... the controls... the stuff required to get an app that you've built using VB5 to run.

what if it needed the ide to run

[Shaggy Hiker]

what if it needed the ide to run

Try that out on the lawyers. Coming up with 'cute' hypotheticals to circumvent the law just annoys judges.

If VB5 works fine for you, then stick with it. I liked it pretty well myself back in the day. Wouldn't move away from .NET now, though. Love all the new language features, especially the OO design and multithreading. I tried to use pseudo-OO principles back in VB5 and 6, but, of course, it wasn't really there, so I was really just using disciplined coding practices to simulate OO design.

In any case, a person new to programming shouldn't be starting with VB5 or VB6. They should start with either C++ or .NET (whether C# or VB). C++ teaches the fundamentals of programming better than any language I know, but it is a big, sprawling, language, with all kinds of little features that you may or may not be able to use or use well. The .NET languages are easier to get up and running in, while still teaching the principles of OO.

[SomeStormOutThere]

ok ok you win people could just find it on google or an ftp search engine any way

but there are plenty of free compilers

i simply think that both vb COM & vb .NET should be tried

if you are making your apps with vb.net you are forcing users to have internet explorer
which can be removed from windows 98 me xp 2000 vista and 7


In any case, a person new to programming shouldn't be starting with VB5 or VB6
isn't that there choice

if .Net had
Eliminated there runtime and framework and used dlls pre installed
with windows 95/Nt4 or later to run there apps
it would be a big improvement form vb6

is there a free NON MICROSOFT working Mscoree.dll that may be placed in a directory and run
to replace that morbidly obese disk space eater

What about open source compilers such as free basic

[chris128]

if you are making your apps with vb.net you are forcing users to have internet explorer
which can be removed from windows 98 me xp 2000 vista and 7

What on earth are you talking about?

if .Net had
Eliminated there runtime and framework and used dlls pre installed
with windows 95/Nt4 or later to run there apps
it would be a big improvement form vb6

The .NET Framework is pre-installed on Windows Vista and Windows 7 and is a high priority update on Windows XP so anyone with Automatic Updates turned on will already have it. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I dont really care if my app doesn't run on Windows 95...

[SomeStormOutThere]

I remove ie from my computers if i don't have any thing that needs it
sadly .net needs it

so if you want to get windows xp without msie .net will not function properly

I dont really care for internet explorer on my computer
if you use .Net your code is tied to Msie

Microsoft dont have time to fix this problem
Because they are to busy cleaning YOU KNOW WHAT from there underpants after they saw they saw
React os , luinx ,free dos running on the same pc