Re: Over 100 Microsoft MVPs Have Signed Online Petition - Give Us Back VB!!

Dan Barclay wrote:
What I'm trying to say is that they are a library and are not a part of the core language. 

But they are part of the core *product*.

Wouldn't need what?

A lot of the brilliant workarounds for VB deficiencies are unnecessary or free in Delphi.

VB (and the other MSBasic products before it) is actually an excellent tool for vertical applications by small shops. A lot of these shops were started by folks with good development skills (if not formal training), but with a *lot* of subject matter knowledge. Typically they came out of the industries they now serve as ISV's. They learned MSBasic because it was on their machine and they had a job to do. 

Just like dBase.

That covers 90 % of all VB apps. And another 9 % are glue apps and glue code within apps that support VB scripting. Only a small % of VB is used for anything else because Java, C, and Delphi are much better choices in most cases.


LOL. Where do you get your data? That doesn't represent the crowd I'm familiar with. I don't know a serious VB app in which the dev trusts data controls as far as he can throw them.
I don't think that's right (unless you're talking about apps that just use a database). Most of the important apps I'm familiar with *process* data in a complex way. Heck, I use databases to store results and log things but it's way down on the food chain functionally speaking.

I'm still standing by my assertion that 90% of all VB apps are database front-ends.

Who you hang out with is your business <g>

In addition, they've acutally *reused* keywords. No deprecation, just killed features and reused keywords. 

That's dotNet all over, though, isn't it?

My personal pet peeve isn't misused/reused keywords - it's the pointless new terminology for old concepts.

These guys just don't sleep at night, they're so bummed about it." Dave Mendlen, Lead Product Manager for Visual Studio.NET (Microsoft), Love, VB Style, VBPJ, August 2001 " 

My point is that they're "bummed about it" all the way to the bank.

But there will be another generation coming up and they will embrace the next great solution to everything.

Possibly, but the ones who are going to be successful will look for the same important attributes that we looked for.

You mean cool t-shirts, branded novelty give-aways, jello shots at conferences, free magazine subscriptions, hype about "being the future", and pr-talk about how important they are to the vendor?

Yeah, that worked on us when we were starting out. <g>

You're giving yourself - and me - too much credit. We were just lucky. Not saying we weren't smart, but in choosing "winners" we were lucky - for a long time at least.

We easily might have gone into RBase, CB86, Magic... can anyone remember more of the bygone names that were considered equally viable choices back in the 80's?

I can say that this petition is a good "last shot at it". It would have been interesting if we could seriously have awakened MS. 

Miraculous even.

The one thing you have going for you is that if Microsoft sees the wind (money) blowing (going) in a different direction, they will eventually change course.

I just don't happen to see how a bunch of old guys who have been writing
BASIC for 20 years matter to the Microsoft bottom line. There are plenty of people just waiting for their chance to take their places if they don't stay current.

And with Microsoft, there is no such thing as "loyal opposition" or "constructive criticism". Those are considered oxymorons in Redmond.

When and if you don't parrot the company line, you are just the "opposition". Suddenly you don't get invited to the parties anymore.

Been there.  Done that.
.

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