| Rating | Review |
| Very Good | From: Crusher Used: 6 months to 2 years Comments: If you're going to write small utils & programs, VB is definitely not for you. However, for large-scale enterprise applications working with databases it's far the best choice if you don't want to learn Delphi :). It can be quite easy to write programs on it, yet it has many cool features. As for small programs, I would recommend Rapid-Q. |
| Good | From: David Buttery, UK Used: 6 months to 2 years Comments: I've been having a go at VB off and on ever since the non-deployable learning edition was stuck on a magazine cover CD. Aha, I thought, I should be able to cope with this. I've been writing in BASIC since early 1983 in all sorts of dialects - ZX81, BBC, Amstrad, QBasic - and so have a fair idea of what I'm about there. But I've never been tempted to splash out the (excessively large) price for the "full" version of VB. Why? Simply because the word that comes to mind when I think of it is "clunky". Everywhere I go I come up against irritations which I really don't think I should find in such an expensive product - the horribly large executables are only the worst example. If MS had the guts to give an old version away free, I might think about it. But for now, I'm sticking with Delphi... though this Rapid-Q thingummyjig looks intriguing... |
| Very Good | From: Pete Used: 6 months to 2 years Comments: VB is without a doubt the daddy of BASICs. It takes the best parts of the BASIC language, its accessibility and simple vocabulary, and builds it into a language that can be used and deployed into the real world. The use of ActiveX controls means that it has limitless expandability. If you need something different, get your copy of Visual C++ and write your own! Class modules allow the creation of custom classes, bringing VB away from the old procedural languages and into the realms of Object-Orientated Programming. It is tightly adapted to windows allowing simple programming of UI systems, and easy event trapping. API calls mean that you can extend it beyond the usual language, calling all of the built-in windows functions, or even accessing your own DLLs written in other languages. There are only four reasons why you might not want to use Visual Basic. Firstly, if speed is essential you might want to try a lower-level language such as C, C++ or even assembly language. However, VB allows the best of both worlds by letting you integrate these as DLLs, allowing the friendliness of a VB UI with the speed of other languages. Another disadvantage might be that VB is Windows-only. However, most other types of basic are OS-specific. If you want something portable, try using Java or ANSI C or C++. Both come with microsoft extensions of these languages in the Visual Studio. VB also does not support some advanced programming techniques. For example, there is no direct programmatical support for multi-threading, which can be very useful. However, if you are wanting to write code as advanced as this, then you should not be using a beginner language! Visual C++ comes with Visual Studio and does support multi threading. Finally, many people criticise Visual Basic on its cost. Fair point, it does cost a lot of money. However, you have to bear in mind that Microsoft will be selling this to people who have the potential to make a hell of a lot of money out of it. Giving it away would not be a very sensible idea. However, I am a student and I bought Visual Studio using Microsoft's student licensing programme. I got it for UK60, hardly a lot of money considering it also contains the superb Visual Interdev website desing tool, as well as programming languages C++ and J++, and the database program Visual FoxPro. Visual Basic has limitations, just like all programming languages. It is impossible to have one language that is the best at everything. However, as beginner languages go, VB is unbeatable. Simply superb. |
| Fair | From: Undisclosed Used: 4 to 7 years Comments: Visual Basic is massive it gives access to everything available in windows. This isn't all good though, while you do get an fairly easy to program gui the learning curve is immense and the applications produced are pretty darn large and aren't alwasy the speediest. If you got the bucks and the patience this is the windows based compiler for you, as there is a lot of support material available and once you learn the windows API with VB you've learned the windows API. |
| Fair | From: ZANE DthWlkr the ZETA Lone Wolf Used: 2 to 4 years Comments: It is a hard choice between "Fair" and "Crap'ola". This Language is for the lazy. Most crackers like to use this language to write their POS. I would suggest not investing in this product due to the fact that it checks that you can't use OLE's and some other stuff if it thinks you don't have the rights to use it. But if you are aiming to create a knock of of any M$ software this is great for do it, becuase it will jus' as crappy as the real M$ product. Don't buy it. But if you have the chance to pick it up for free go for it. It has possibilities but it is not worth the price for what you pay. If some one finds out that you wrote the program using VB , really dimissing their confidence in your programming. Save your honor and use another language such as Rapid-Q or PDS. QB7.1 PDS rocked unlike VB. BTW there is one thing it is good for. It is good for rewriting some M$ software. If this is done properly it will be faster than the actual product. Good luck and good health. Out, ZANE DthWlkr the ZETA Lone Wolf & Delphic of Chaos ICQ# 4 feel free to ICQ me |
| Fair | From: Vv Used: 6 months to 2 years Comments: VB has a very good Gui, good documentation and a large amount of possibilities, however VB is also a very expensive Basic environment, as for beginners i would not advise to invest in any VB product, not even the learning edition unless your boss is willing to pay for it. Besides, like QuickBasic, VB has a lot of identical limitations which are definately out acceptance range (memory-chunk limitations, type limitations). VB has grown into a professional development environment which outgrew "the beginner who wants to learn the basic by fun". If you don't like it, you can't throw it in a corner because that would mean a waste of money. Trust me, there are a lot of better and freeware alternatives to use. |