what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

[Arie Kanarie]

Hello,

I want to start with learning VB for my work. I'm a Industrial Automation
engineer and i want to know what the difference is between VB6 and VB.NET.
Is VB.NET just an anaother word for VB.7 ??

Regards Arie

[J French]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

On Sun, 29 Jun 2003 08:43:52 +0200, "Arie Kanarie"
<akanarie@freem ail.nl> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Hello,
>
>I want to start with learning VB for my work. I'm a Industrial Automation
>engineer and i want to know what the difference is between VB6 and VB.NET.
>Is VB.NET just an anaother word for VB.7 ??[/color]

VB.NET is a very different animal from VB

The idea of VB.NET is that it should run on the .NET platform, which
is a huge support library (as is Win32)
There are a number of other languages that do/will run on the .NET
platform

This platform is designed to be (to some extent) hardware independant,
so the languages are semi compiled, then properly compiled using JIT
on the users machine

On can think of .NET as a massive Java Engine

VB6 is a language that runs directly on Win32, sure it needs a run
time support DLL - MSVBVM60.DLL but that is trivial compared with the
..NET requirements

It is possible that .NET will become wide spread, at present it is in
its infancy.
It is also possible that people writing other than massive corporate
systems will ignore .NET

Personally I prefer to stay away from the 'bleeding edge' of new
technology - as do most others in this NG

VB.NET is designed by a guy poached from Borland
- the guy who designed Delphi
- I've not looked that closely at VB.NET, but my understanding is that
he has 'imported' a lot of concepts from Delphi, that are not present
in VB6

I suspect that a competent programmer who understands VB6 would find
it relatively easy to migrate to VB.NET

However to 'learn' VB in the first place is quite a step, and there is
a lot more to VB than meets the eye.

[Bob Butler]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

"Arie Kanarie" <akanarie@freem ail.nl> wrote in message
news:3efe873a$0 $49117$e4fe514c @news.xs4all.nl[color=blue]
> Hello,
>
> I want to start with learning VB for my work. I'm a Industrial
> Automation engineer and i want to know what the difference is between
> VB6 and VB.NET.[/color]

Asking what is the same would be a shorter list; they are very different
and except for a misleading surface similarity they have little in common.
[color=blue]
> Is VB.NET just an anaother word for VB.7 ??[/color]

There is, and will be, no VB 7; VB as a language ends with VB 6.

[J French]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 23:43:09 GMT, "Dennis" <Dennis@aufwied ersehen.pet>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"Bob Butler" <tiredofit@nosp am.com> wrote in message
>news:Q3HLa.110 248$hd6.17063@f ed1read05...[color=green]
>> There is, and will be, no VB 7; VB as a language ends with VB 6.[/color]
>Does this mean I'm wasting my time thinking of learning it Bob?
>Den[/color]

Absolutely - even 'thiking of learning it' is a waste of time

On 1st Jan 2004 all VB Apps will mysteriously cease to function, VB
compilers will de-install themselves

The vast numbers of VB5 and 6 programmers will cease to be able to
code.

And all because VB.NET is crawling out of Beta

[Bob Butler]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

"Dennis" <Dennis@aufwied ersehen.pet> wrote in message
news:h0pMa.5237 4$%L.46714@news-lhr.blueyonder. co.uk[color=blue]
> "Bob Butler" <tiredofit@nosp am.com> wrote in message
> news:Q3HLa.1102 48$hd6.17063@fe d1read05...[color=green]
>> There is, and will be, no VB 7; VB as a language ends with VB 6.[/color]
> Does this mean I'm wasting my time thinking of learning it Bob?[/color]

I don't consider it a waste of time to learn anything; even if you never use
VB.Net you'll probably pick up new concepts and ways of doing things. There
will be work for VB.Net developers whether or not the language "takes off"
and becomes as popular as VB is/was. If your particular place of employment
is embracing it then learning it is a very good thing <g>. Personally,
if/when I do anything with .Net it'll be C# but you need to decide what is
right for you in your situation. Just don't think of VB.Net as VB7... it's
a new language with only a surface similarity.

[RazroRog]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

In case you go VB6 here's the two best books I've found (for what it's
worth).:

Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0
by Francesco Balena

Visual Basic 6 from the Ground Up
by Gary Cornell

Balena's book is the best VB programming book I ever studied but I'd start
with Cornell's. Not sure how hard it would be to use Balena's first. He
doesn't screw around.

Regards

Raszro

[Hal Davison]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

But from what I'm reading, M$ is doing its best to discourage the use if VB6
infavor of VB.NET.

From what I've been told the M$ support for VB6 will be no more by Jan 2004.

"RazroRog" <RazroRog@hotma il.com> wrote in message
news:_EWdnQt0q_ qmKZiiXTWJjg@co mcast.com...[color=blue]
> In case you go VB6 here's the two best books I've found (for what it's
> worth).:
>
> Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0
> by Francesco Balena
>
> Visual Basic 6 from the Ground Up
> by Gary Cornell
>
> Balena's book is the best VB programming book I ever studied but I'd start
> with Cornell's. Not sure how hard it would be to use Balena's first. He
> doesn't screw around.
>
> Regards
>
> Raszro
>
>[/color]

[J French]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

On Fri, 4 Jul 2003 14:20:54 -0700, "Hal Davison" <hal@faams.ne t>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>But from what I'm reading, M$ is doing its best to discourage the use if VB6
>infavor of VB.NET.
>
>From what I've been told the M$ support for VB6 will be no more by Jan 2004.[/color]

Of what value is 'M$ support' ?

If VB6 Apps do not work on later versions of Windows, then the chances
are that people will shun those OS 'upgrades'

I still support some old DOS code written in a 20 year old version of
MS Business Basic

[Dave]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

> On 1st Jan 2004 all VB Apps will mysteriously cease to function, VB[color=blue]
> compilers will de-install themselves
>
> The vast numbers of VB5 and 6 programmers will cease to be able to
> code.
>
> And all because VB.NET is crawling out of Beta[/color]

Maybe you've been watching too many science fiction movies.

I think (beware now, this is jmho) there is a major market niche
created by VB.NET. Where you say? How about all those millions of
VB6 (and VB5) applications silently humming along running businesses
all over the world? These companies employ very capable programmers
writing more VB6 code every day. When MSFT quits supporting VB6,
someone else will, don't you think? In the early days of technology
that would be a given. Some company like Ashton-Tate or Borland would
pick up the ball and run with it, I think it will happen in this case.

Be aware now, I am not telling you to sit on your laurels (i.e. ass)
and not learn .NET technology (I own Visual Studio.NET myself), It's
just that VB6 is doing a hell of a good job of what it does best and I
just don't see a massive migration to .NET real soon.

dave

[Hal Davison]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

Dave,

In that you have VB.NET. what seems to be the biggest problem in transition
to VB.NET from VB6?

What NEW technology is to be learned?

--Hal.

"Dave" <davegp2@juno.c om> wrote in message
news:55635cc2.0 307052220.6ba71 e4b@posting.goo gle.com...[color=blue][color=green]
> > On 1st Jan 2004 all VB Apps will mysteriously cease to function, VB
> > compilers will de-install themselves
> >
> > The vast numbers of VB5 and 6 programmers will cease to be able to
> > code.
> >
> > And all because VB.NET is crawling out of Beta[/color]
>
> Maybe you've been watching too many science fiction movies.
>
> I think (beware now, this is jmho) there is a major market niche
> created by VB.NET. Where you say? How about all those millions of
> VB6 (and VB5) applications silently humming along running businesses
> all over the world? These companies employ very capable programmers
> writing more VB6 code every day. When MSFT quits supporting VB6,
> someone else will, don't you think? In the early days of technology
> that would be a given. Some company like Ashton-Tate or Borland would
> pick up the ball and run with it, I think it will happen in this case.
>
> Be aware now, I am not telling you to sit on your laurels (i.e. ass)
> and not learn .NET technology (I own Visual Studio.NET myself), It's
> just that VB6 is doing a hell of a good job of what it does best and I
> just don't see a massive migration to .NET real soon.
>
> dave[/color]

[Hal Davison]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

How much of ones 3rd Party tools and goodies are transportable to VB.NET?

How steep in the transitional curve to VB.NET from VB6?

"Mr Nobody" <nobody@nowhere .com> wrote in message
news:0mYNa.7396 3$x4o.31673@new s04.bloor.is.ne t.cable.rogers. com...[color=blue][color=green]
> > In that you have VB.NET. what seems to be the biggest problem in[/color]
> transition[color=green]
> > to VB.NET from VB6?
> > What NEW technology is to be learned?[/color]
>
> Microsoft has published a book called "Upgrading Microsoft Visual Basic 6[/color]
to[color=blue]
> Microsoft Visual Basic .Net" (ISBN 0-7356-1587-X). It's 547 pages long.
> Almost everything in the language has changed: graphics, forms, printing,
> database, you name it. Fortunately, the + and - operators still add and
> subtract. But everything else has changed. VB.net is not Visual Basic.
>
>
>[/color]

[Bob Butler]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

"Hal Davison" <hal@faams.ne t> wrote in message
news:3f07577e$1 _2@newsfeed[color=blue]
> How much of ones 3rd Party tools and goodies are transportable to
> VB.NET?[/color]

I'd suspect very few; most VB6 code won't port directly and add-ins are
quite different. You may find that many of the 3rd party tools aren't
needed but you'll have to evaluate and upgrade them on a case-by-case basis.
[color=blue]
> How steep in the transitional curve to VB.NET from VB6?[/color]

Very. It's a new language with some surface similarities which may actually
slow you down because you can't necessarily rely on the same syntax
performing the same way even when both compilers accept it.

[Aleph Mobius]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

Does VB.NET support inline ASM or C? Since this is all supposed to be
interrelated can you write a program in 2 different languages?

[J French]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

On 8 Jul 2003 19:31:17 -0700, nessie235@aol.c om (Aleph Mobius) wrote:
[color=blue]
>Does VB.NET support inline ASM or C? Since this is all supposed to be
>interrelated can you write a program in 2 different languages?[/color]

I would be surprized if it supported ASM

The .NET platform is 'semi-compiled'

[Bruce W. Roeser]

Re: what is the difference between VB6 and VB.NET ?

RazoRog,

Although I haven't worked in the exact same field as you I would have to 2nd
your opinion on that one. In the shop I'm in we're *slowly* beginning to
adopt some .Net technology but I'll be surprised if it doesn't take several
years for us to adopt it completely. VB6 is an extremely powerful
development tool. VB.Net may seem "cool" and all - but the platform has yet
to prove itself (to me at least), particularly in regular Windows
development. I'm studying .Net but to say I'm sold on it yet is a stretch.
In my 24 years of software development I've watched a number of technologies
emerge in PC's - and have moved slowly to adopt them. I'm having particular
trouble selling myself on the idea that .Net is yet a good thing. It is a
resource pig at the very least. It might be a "panacea" for Web development
but for Windows development it is, to me, a solution looking for a problem
as yet.

Regards,

-bruce


"RazroRog" <RazroRog@hotma il.com> wrote in message
news:kCadnfc2BZ vdOpiiXTWJlg@co mcast.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Arie Kanarie" <akanarie@freem ail.nl> wrote in message
> news:3efe873a$0 $49117$e4fe514c @news.xs4all.nl ...[color=green]
> > Hello,
> >
> > I want to start with learning VB for my work. I'm a Industrial[/color][/color]
Automation[color=blue][color=green]
> > engineer and i want to know what the difference is between VB6 and[/color][/color]
VB.NET.[color=blue][color=green]
> > Is VB.NET just an anaother word for VB.7 ??
> >[/color]
> I'm an industrial automation programmer too and I would advise you to[/color]
learn[color=blue]
> VB6. The skill you will learn for VB6 are applicable to many important
> aspects of enhancing commercial industrail development packages. For
> example, you can write your own controls that can plug into Rockwell's
> RSLogix and RSView. You'll learn how to share information between various
> OLE aware programs like Excel, various Data Acquisition software, etc.[/color]
Many[color=blue]
> high end automation development packages have built in VBA (Visual Basic[/color]
for[color=blue]
> Applications) which has the same syntax as VB6. By using these you can do
> many things that you couldn't ordinarily do if you didn't know VB6. Plus[/color]
you[color=blue]
> can pick up a copy of VB6 cheap these days and there kazillions of good
> books on it (and kazillions of bad ones too). Believe me - VB6 has
> everything you need.
> Regards,
>
> Razro
>
>
>[/color]