Getting the ball rolling. Which VB6 projects are you working on?

[Erwin69]

I still use VB6 for the development of three commercial applications, and several "in-house" utilities. I'm not a full-time developer, and have to be involved in many aspects of the business, I prefer to stick with what I know and feel comfortable with, instead of spending a lot of time to learn a new language. VB6 still does the job, and even if there is an "old-fashioned" toolbar instead of a flash ribbon, the majority of my clients are happy with the KISS approach.

The primary commercial app allows the user to replicate an in-store environment, visualizing products on shelves, a so-called planogram. This can be schematic, using colored blocks, or using actual product images, as in the attached screenshot. The software shows a simplified "flat front view", but actually calculates the whole setting in 3D. Beyond the visualization, there is a statistical module, that takes historical sales data, trend information, and combines that with a basic modelling of supply (logistics) and demand (consumers) to predict the performance of the shelf layout. Various analytical features allow the user to optimize the layout for inventory levels, financial results, etc.

Attachment 180222

As some of you have seen from recent posts, I'm currently improving the Unicode support, which comes with some challenges.

[yereverluvinuncleber]

I still use VB6 for the development of three commercial applications,

That's impressive and unexpected too. What is it called, this 'planomatic' software you create? Is there a link? What do you use to develop it (o/s & hardware)?

[Erwin69]

That's impressive and unexpected too. What is it called, this 'planomatic' software you create? Is there a link? What do you use to develop it (o/s & hardware)?

In our industry we're calling it planogramming software (for visualization of shelf layouts) or floorplanning software (for visualization of total store layouts). More info can be found on the websites:

https:\\retailshelfplanner.com and https:\\retailfloorplanner.com.


As I mentioned before, the technical side is just a small part of my overall job, so I prefer to keep things simple. After hearing about challenges to get VB6 installed on post-XP Windows versions, I decided to set up a virtual machine, using Oracle VM VirtualBox. Once Microsoft pulled the plug on XP-support, I disconnected the VM from the Internet, so there is no risk of viruses, hacks, etc. I run that on a strong laptop (Intel i9, 64GB RAM, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2060, 2x 1TB M.2 SSD, Win10 Pro) with two exernal 27"screens, so that I can efficiently run multiple apps (and even VM's) at the same time, search the Internet, etc. Hardware is a bit overkill, but it will keep me happy for a couple of years, so that I don't have to set up a new kit too often.