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Visual Basic: Not Dead Yet

By Oliver Rist

November 1, 2000 — (Page 1 of 2)
Despite Microsoft's intent to inexorably push its hordes of Visual Basic programmers toward the new C# platform, I don't see Visual Basic suddenly disappearing in a puff of smoke. Like most platform migrations, this move will happen slowly-especially considering that both languages are fairly Microsoft-centric. No point in angering your existing customer base by yanking the rug out from under them.

That means that Visual Basic will be hanging around for the near future. Indeed, Redmond has already announced that we'll be seeing new enhancements to Visual Basic in its next round of version upgrades, so there is obviously still life left in Visual Basic on the Microsoft campus.

For hard-core programming gurus, this really isn't important information. Visual Basic has never made many inroads with deep core coders due mainly to its orientation as an easy-to-use programming interface aimed at everyman. This ease-of-use mandate has taken its toll on Visual Basic, both in terms of flexibility as well as performance. The latter problem results most often from too much visual coding. Linking objects and functions in a unified workspace is certainly a simpler process to manage than syntax-style programming, but the "auto-code" that gets generated by the system in the background is usually far from elegant or efficient.

That's why the hard-core programmer typically prefers IDE environments that are mostly wizard- and component-free. A straight syntax-based work environment bolstered by compilers, debuggers and linkages aimed specifically at this style of code-cutting is what counts to the propeller-cap set. But frankly, that's only one extreme.

It's easy for gurus to look down on the rest of us unwashed masses; they've taken the time and cultivated their talent to rise to such levels. But cutting code really isn't just for gurus in today's world. Plenty of mainstream power users or professional folks with other core skill sets often need the ability to create a little custom code on the side. And while elegance and efficiency are the Holy Grails of enterprise development, utility coding is really mostly about functionality.

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