Why VB programs are...

[kinjalgp]

I don't know why all the famous software are coded in C or other languages but not VB even though it is much more simpler than other languages. I find C too difficult. Am I right or wrong? Which language should I go in for making very good programs and comparitively samller in size. Can VB do this?

[Edited by kinjalgp on 04-28-2000 at 09:30 PM]

[mcleran]

I think the biggest drawback for building VB apps is those damn runtime DLLs you need to distribute. Size, speed, etc. aren't that much different if you're talking about windows apps. A well written VB app can perform equally as fast as an equivalent C/C++ windows app.

[Paul282]

I aggree Absolutely, I use Borlands C++ Builder (cloned from delphi) for a while and some things are nice but VB is a better package.

Free threading is comming, but a real app should be able to static link.

I wanted to make apps like winzip which can output to an exe instead of zip. I can code it but if the people don't have the runtimes it won't run! I'd have to write the distributable executable part in C++. That's poor

It means you can't make any light exe frameworks for just anybody. Win2K has the vb6 runtimes installed but vb7 is on its way out

Too little too late. I want static linking

And not bloody "Fusion"!, Static linking a small tool to 1.5megs is not what I had in mind.

[Edited by Paul282 on 04-28-2000 at 09:27 AM]

I thought VB ran at about 90% of the speed C++ doed, plus you can do multithreading in C++ which helps speed.

oh dear, I meant to post that under my other name, I hope nobody's guessed my secret batIdentity.

Lets us all wait for VB7. Then we will decide wich languages is the best for windows.
And i know, VB will kick some A****..

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Why thinking Hard! Just think Easy!
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[Paul282]

But nothing inthe release notes yet mention static linking

But a lot of other stuff looks good !!!

[Glenn]

Static linking encapsalates everything a program needs inside the exe. In other words no dlls required, this would include the VB runtime library. TO distribute a program all you would need to do would be copy the exe onto to the machine you want it to run on (Kinda of like the days of DOS).

hmm, is there any way to tell if your app requires any external files?

[kedaman]

Robin: HEeheh, don't do anything stupid now.

Is VB7 going to be directed mainly towards Win2000?

[bcx7]

i heard that you only need windows 2000 if you run a network because it's more powerful than Windows NT. i really like vb but i don't want to upgrade my computer to be able you use it. i think at vb7 will look good.

I remember using VB4. It was the first programming language I used. I learnt from a book which told me how to create a project that does nothing until you exit it.

[Sam Finch]

one of the big dissadvantages of VB is that it's very hard to manipulate string pointers, which means C++ can handle strings very quickly and VB can't.

[kinjalgp]

But still VB is far far far easier to learn and code than C.

But the difficulty makes up for it.

[Paul282]

one of the big dissadvantages of VB is that it's very hard to manipulate string pointers, which means C++ can handle strings very quickly and VB can't.

I'm not sure I aggree Sam, C++ usually impliments one type of String class or another (AnsiString in BCB for example)
with the idea of simplifying C strings (Char arrays) but they come at the cost of performance. If you want fast strings like C then use byte arrays. Although you won't quite match perfomance you can pass the first array position as a pointer.

Even in C it's well known that (non floating point) integer math will be quicker than char arrays.

C lets you go lower level when necessary though

[DrewDog_21]

I love this "which-is-better-C++-or-VB" thing. I've heard it argued one way or another about a thousand times. Bottom line: each language has its unique strengths and weaknesses. usually when someone says one is better than the other, it is because they know one better than the other. Like me! I can work well in VB but I would have to ask for help for something as simple as declaring a variable in C++

To compare Vb and C++ is to compare apples and oranges. They are both fruits but otherwise are completely different.

[Sam Finch]

I'm in no way an expert on C++, VB strings just annoy me because they're wierd. I've only used basic char arrays in C++ and I like the idea of pointers, the API is alot easier to use if you can use pointers properly.

Obviously neither language is "better" I like VB because I know how to use it.

[kinjalgp]

Don't you all think that Microsoft should develop a language which has ease of VB and power of C an probably be named "Visual CBASIC" .

HA HA HA

Kinjal

But it's the complexity of C++ that makes it flexiable and powerful. If it were as easy as BASIC, it wouldn't be so powerful.

Let me ask you guys this. Could you build something like Windows with Visual Basic?

[kinjalgp]

Definitely, not? We can not make Windows in VB and if we do so the end user will be forced to have the following minimum hardware requirements:

Processor: 2Ghz (Athlon-II HA HA HA)
RAM: 1GB
HDD: 40GB
System Bus: 500 MHz

an so on .........................................

Systems with this configuration will only give the optimum performance like Windows.

In my opinion Vb doesn't come close to C or C++.
A visual basic app runs on top of C.
All VB programs need to be interpreted by C or C++ functions to do anything at all.

You can do everything using C and Vb does only what a C library lets it.

The only drawback to C or C++ is that it is in fact so much more difficult to learn because it is so extensive and covers just about everything you'd ever want to do.

I also heard that the complexity of the language itself was intentional so that not just anybody could learn it in 21 days like VB.

[Sam Finch]

I have to say, I'm just learning C++ and I love the syntax of the language, maybe It's just the way my brain works but after the initial shock of a case sensitive language that didn't tell you about an error until compile time the whole thing seems a lot more logical in a way, I think VB is better for front ends and C++ for back ends, getting the 2 languages to work together is the Ideal solution.

[noone]

Well to understand why C/C++ is so complex you have to understand that it was created to help devolop UNIX. VB was built for Rapid Devolopment of small business apps, those are two very different goals.
I know what you mean Sam, I was doing just VB for a bit and you do end up picking up some bad habits. Always forgetting case matters now and forgetting to put semicolons.