Want to learn VB.

InsomniaCalls

InsomniaCalls

InsomniaCalls

Soldato
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Hi there.

I'm looking to learn VB to a reasonable working level.
Once I've got a decent handle on it I'll be getting properly trained anyway but want to get at least the basics myself.

Is it worth learning VB6 or should I just skip straight to VB.NET?

I have access to Visual Studio 6 and 2005 at work.

Thanks :)
 
I'd skip VB6 and jump right into .NET. If you've got any previous programming experience it's a simple transition, i went from Java to C#/VB.NET when i started my new job a few months back and had very few problems.
 
If I were you I'd learn C# instead. It's no more complicated - hell, the only real difference is syntax - but C# tends to get more respect and you'll find it easier to move into other languages such as C, C++ & Java.

But, if you're set on VB, you may as well go for .NET. There's no advantage I can think of to VB6, and .NET is more up to date.
 
I use C#. But with .Net you should realistically be able to read and write C# and VB.net languages.

If you already have use of VS2005, the key thing is learning how to get a web application or windows project set up. Once you're there, the syntax is straight forward for basic programming.

If you can set up a project, make a database connection and return the results to the screen, you're well on the way to the next level.
 
As has already been said, I wouldn't bother with VB6 – it's outdated and doesn't really have any use any longer. You'd be better off going with its modern equivalent VB.NET. However, if you're going to go for a .NET language, you'd be better off going for C#, as it's slightly better than VB.NET (has a few more features) and will get you more respect as a programmer. It's also Microsoft's current flagship language, whereas VB.NET exists only to keep the old VB6 programmers happy ;)
 
Mr Jack said:
If I were you I'd learn C# instead. It's no more complicated - hell, the only real difference is syntax - but C# tends to get more respect and you'll find it easier to move into other languages such as C, C++ & Java.

But, if you're set on VB, you may as well go for .NET. There's no advantage I can think of to VB6, and .NET is more up to date.
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I use C# I would go with that

Stelly
 
So if I concentrated on C# and then needed to use VB for whatever reason, would it be easier to pick it up as required than vice versa?

I know both will be useful in the role I'm planning on applying for so just wanting to get a decent foundation.

Edit: Thanks btw :)
 
think if your complety new to programming c# and that would be to difficult

i would learn a little vb6 first just to show you how forms and so on work
 
denby said:
think if your complety new to programming c# and that would be to difficult

i would learn a little vb6 first just to show you how forms and so on work
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I really wouldn't. VB6 is a bad language for beginners because it teaches (or at least allows) bad coding habits (e.g. not declaring variables, use of the variant data type, etc.). If you're going to learn C# after VB6, you'll just have to try and drop the habits anyway, so why not start off in a language that doesn't allow you to pick them up in the first place?

Anyway, C# shouldn't be too difficult for a beginner to learn at all!
 
Inquisitor said:
I really wouldn't. VB6 is a bad language for beginners because it teaches (or at least allows) bad coding habits (e.g. not declaring variables, use of the variant data type, etc.). If you're going to learn C# after VB6, you'll just have to try and drop the habits anyway, so why not start off in a language that doesn't allow you to pick them up in the first place?

Anyway, C# shouldn't be too difficult for a beginner to learn at all!
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I'm trying my best to keep out of this, but it's comments like that which really wind me up.

Give a recommendation sure, give your own personal opinion, but don't give wrong information to favour your argument.

In VB6 you DO have the option to make variables within modules declared, and it's a simple command called Option Explicit On.

VB.Net has this feature this option turned on by default, and can be toggled. c#, AFAIK, does NOT have any way of toggling this on or off.
 
~J~ said:
I'm trying my best to keep out of this, but it's comments like that which really wind me up.

Give a recommendation sure, give your own personal opinion, but don't give wrong information to favour your argument.

In VB6 you DO have the option to make variables within modules declared, and it's a simple command called Option Explicit On.

VB.Net has this feature this option turned on by default, and can be toggled. c#, AFAIK, does NOT have any way of toggling this on or off.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to give misinformation; Option Explicit in VB is turned off by default, so many beginners don't even know it exists. In my opinion there should not be such an option available in a statically typed language like C#, VB.NET or VB6.

The thing I dislike about VB6 is that it's statically typed, yet it allows for emulation of dynamic typing; the two shouldn't be mixed in my opinion.

Basically, it's my personal opinion that while VB6 may be easy for a beginner to learn, it is not good for a beginner to learn. If you want a nice, simple language to learn as a beginner, something like Ruby or Python would fit the job well :)
 
VB6 is not an inherently bad language to learn if done properly.

If the choice is between VB6 and .NET I would start with .NET every single time though.
 
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