is VB good enough????

[ectti]

ello all, ive been reading on this and other forums some bad comments about visual basic, like it being the "crappy" programing language. Im new to programming and im taking a course on VB 6, and im beginnin to wonder, is VB any good? why all the bad "press" about it? im i wasting my time learning about it?
why does people prefeer C++ or somethin else?
any opinions woud be apreciated. <IMG SRC="smilies/confused.gif" border="0">

[ShadowKing]

VB is a great language that will give you lots of options, but beware, it is a dying language.

VB.net is totally different, and more like C. I would really recommend learning C# as that is the way of the future.

VB will give you lots of use though: VBS Scripts, VBA for MS Office, and VB for regular apps.

Learn it and then move onto C#.

[opiate]

VB is very powerful! Don't know where you gettin the info but they are wrong.

C++ is yet even more powerful but would not be my first lang to learn.

[antonye]

You only have to take a look at the industry to see which programming languages are popular - VB will be right up there because it is a very powerful tool.

The reason VB is so popular is because it's had all the grunt work done for you already by giving you a visual interface to creating forms, making creating programs much quicker.

Each C++ programmer will have their own routines for creating, placing, drawing, refreshing, capturing events, etc on (for example) buttons on a form, but with VB this has already been done for you so you can get on with creating the program itself.

Consider programming as creating a car to drive from point A to point B...

VB allows you to walk into the shop and buy the chassis, the engine, the wheels, etc and simply slot them all together. It means you can quickly put together a car from pre-built components that you know already work.

With C++ you need to first build the chassis, then build the wheels, then build the engine, and so on, before you even start putting it together. You may spend longer creating and building the car, but you have finer control over it.

The point is that both will get you from A to B !!

As for Visual Basic being a dying language, don't believe it. Most companies/industries have legacy systems that will need to be maintained in VB code so it will always be around - just ask any Cobol/ForTran/Pascal programmer!

Learning VB is an excellent way of learning to program as it allows you to quickly get results. You will also find that you learn a lot about how other compoents work, such as ODBC, ADO, and other components that will all be transferable to other languages.

HTH,

[Deity]

Well said antonye. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

[mahdi]

Very nice discription there antonye! I have to say VB is much easier to use then C++, and that is my problem learning it...I started out learning C and worked up to C++, now when I look at VB I'm just like...umm, how's this work? <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

VB is definatly the ideal language to get started on and move to C after that...a lot less confusing <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[LabRat]

There is good in everything. For me, I'm learning VB as a starting point to learn basic programming concepts and because it is faster and more productive to use the visual interface for designing forms. My next language will be C++ to execute the procedure codes because it has a faster execution time and is more compact on compilation. This way my fuctions will be able to be integrated to my forms and I'll have more direct control over their functionality.
Another reason to learn C is cross platform. Knowing the ANSI standards, you can develope for Windows, MAC and Linux.

Another Language that is dying, but should not be forgotten is Assembly. It is fast and highly compact. Use gives you FULL control of the hardware being accessed. This level of power should definitely be reserved for someone of an engineering mindset, yet should not be overlooked for the sake of simplicity.

There was a sig that I'd seen that would be most appropriate here. Below is a paraphrasing:
'Remember your history to be prepared for your future.' Knowing the source and evolution of computers and the accosiated languages will give a powerful edge in resolving problems and providing alternatives to present options that don't work as needed.

[ShadowKing]

I do agree with all the previous posts, and my best language is VB. However what I said before still stands.

VB is awesome for Rapid Application Development, but it is lacking in performance. It also IS changing radically, so AT THE VERY LEAST become familiar with some of the changes so you can be prepared for the future. (e.g. Don't use the default properties for objects, and don't ever make calculations based on the fact that true is -1)

As stated before, learning VB will give you an edge in many places. You can use it for Web development, Automating computers with VBS, Developing "Smart" Office documents, and designing actual applications. If you learn C then you can make COM objects to perform some of your more math intensive tasks and just plug them into your VB app.

It has a lot of versatility, just be aware of the limitations...

[CornMaster]

I program in VB just for kicks.

By all means.....I'm not a good or professional programmer. But what attracts me to the language is the very visual and easy to design in. Getting by that allows me to do the code.

But VB is not a gaming language. It's too slow, and well....I can't figure it out!!! <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

[ectti]

Thanks for all your opinions guys, i feel much more encouraged to continue my study of VB now!
thanks <IMG SRC="smilies/cool.gif" border="0">

[antonye]

Originally posted by Shift_2_Break:
Another reason to learn C is cross platform. Knowing the ANSI standards, you can develope for Windows, MAC and Linux.

Heh! Keep believing that if you want to!!

99% of all C++ programming is down to API routines for things like interface or system hardware calls. These are the bits that are not platform independant, so these are the bits you will need to change to make it work across platforms. The rest is all control structures which are similar (if not exactly the same) as other programs like VB.

I used to program C++ on Unix machines many years ago and it's a world away from C++ on Windows machines. Although I've never done any Mac programming (fx: crosses fingers!) I'm sure it would be the same.

As for VB lacking in performance, I would say that in the last revisions (VB5/6) this gap has narrowed right down. Take a look at some of the TechNet articles comparing VB and C++ routines and you'll see there's not that much in them. Don't forget that both VB and C++ should be used as an access platform to other components, such as ADO, so it's only what you do outside this that counts.

VB's biggest advantage is it's Rapid Application Development which is what the people who pay for the final software want. With cheap processors and memory, small speed issues are not a problem.

Anyway, it is an excellent language that is easy to learn and you can do some really professional stuff in - it works for me!

<IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[opiate]

antonye, you rock dude! Thanks for all the help you've givin me in the past.

[antonye]

Originally posted by opiate:
antonye, you rock dude! Thanks for all the help you've givin me in the past.

Awww, shucks! *sniff*

Seriously, I've been doing this a long time so it's nice to help people with their stuff, especially when you get thanks <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[Deity]

Cash always helps too... <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[ShadowKing]

Originally posted by opiate:
<STRONG>antonye, you rock dude! Thanks for all the help you've givin me in the past.</STRONG>

I agree there, your post are always very accurate and well spoken. Good work!