A longer answer is that "Windows 7 for smartphones", as you call it, is actually Windows Phone 7 - this may appear pedantic, but the point is that it is not Windows 7, or even a cut-down version of Windows 7. It is a completely different OS (based on Windows Embedded CE 6.0) and there is no VB6 runtime available for it, let alone any of the other libraries.
Once upon a time there was a product called eVB that worked on ancient phones based on earlier versions of Windows CE, but that was abandoned years ago (and was really VBScript, not VB).
Windows Phone 7 uses .NET, so you can use a number of .NET languages for development (you can directly develop apps in the latest version of Visual Studio, for example)
Actually there is a development system called NSBasic/CE that can be used to create applications for Windows Mobile up through 6.5, and the IDE is very much like VB6. The runtime is a small wrapper library to provide the instrinsic controls and use the VBScript engine and several Microsoft controls, both of which came from the eVB era.
Phone 7 was a travesty that helped destroy their market share in the mobile segment. NSBasic applications (and many others) are blocked from working under the new regime, which isn't even full .Net but a version of Silverlard. The application envonment there is tightly sandboxed so even though CE lives underneath it, it may as well be iOS for all you care.
One more reason you may as well go Android today... even though I found out how much that sucks too in other ways, but that's another topic.
I think the motto at Microsoft these days is "Dare to fail!" Google hasn't set the bar very high.
As I recall that actually churns out JavaScript code which in turn runs in a browser, somewhat limiting functionality and performance ...
There's also one called Basic4PPC which worked on Windows CE 5.0 through to Windows Mobile 6.5, and was/is .Net-based. And they also gave up when Windows Phone 7 came out, and moved their focus to Android instead.
You're thinking of their current product that generates JavaScript from a VB-like syntax in order to run on iPhone, Android, etc.
For that matter if you've been keeping up Microsoft considers script+HTML a viable development medium for applets too. It's a big part of the Metro push.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.