Is there anything like vb6 for Linux 2

[tedsmith]

Is there a program like Visual Basic that I can use in Linux?
I want to write a simple app that is in effect a public information display screen.
I needs to display large text (up to 200pt) in a number of sizeable boxes, some with the text scrolling sideways and others with moving pictures or animation in them.
In other words it should look something like a borderless web page.
Any ideas?

 

[sleipnir214]

VB is strictly Win32.

You might take a look at Tcl/Tk

http://www.pconline.com/~erc/tcl.htm

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions:

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

TANSTAAFL!

 

[pupu]

Or maybe Kylix ("Delphi for Linux&quot

http://www.borland.com/kylix/index.html

 

[PcLinuxGuru]

Or you can write it with VB and use Wine to run it on the linux box

 

[tedsmith]

Whats is Wine? (apart from what gets you drunk!)

 

[gwinn7]

There are developers working on this. There are tools for programming VB on Linux.

The following link is a project in planning stages for this to happen...

http://sourceforge.net/projects/vb4linux/

Gary
gwinn7
A+, N+, I+

 

[pupu]

Wine is Windows Emulator.

http://www.winehq.com/

 

[venkman]

In the spirit of recursive names like GNU:
WINE = Wine Is Not an Emulator

WINE is a windows emulator. As I've written in previous posts ( thread619-519005 ), I don't like it very much. That said, it might be good for this type of thing, since it hanldes the type of stuff VB does better than anything else (as far as I've noticed in the past)... assuming you can get a functional version of wine installed in the first place.

IMHO, it will probably take you just as long to figure out how to get wine up and running as it will to learn the equivalent programming in native linux type code (maybe java?).... and it would be more useful to figure out how to do it in Linux.

However, if you really want to get to that netherworld of pleasure and pain that the box in Hellraiser takes you to, here is the wine website:

http://www.winehq.org/

-Venkman

 

[Norwich]

Another thing to think about is what do you want to develop for. There are various IDEs for the varying environments - KDE, Gnom etc...

 

[marsd]

VB should stay out of linux..
There are plenty of alternatives.
Perl, Python and Tcl/Tk are better languages than vb
and each has at least one graphical set available to
it. Perl and Python have api's for the tk and qt/gtk
sets last time I checked.
Tcl/Tk is the least onerous to learn and a lot more info is available at the wiki:

http://mini.net/tcl

 

[gwinn7]

I don't agree that VB should stay out of Linux.

There are a lot of VB programmers out there (like me!). If VB Programmers out there could write their apps on Linux systems, then it further makes Linux a more attractive alternative platform to use. It would be one more thing that could be used to convince managers that Linux is a viable alternative to Windows.

Yes, it is true there are plenty of alternatives for programming on Linux, but those languages requires retraining for many developers, and that costs money that businesses/individuals would rather not spend.

If VB is supported on Linux, great, all the better.

I realize this post is completely off track, but I just had to give a response to the previous statement.

Gary
gwinn7
A+, N+, I+

 

[marsd]

Tell me..what kind of support does VB have for the *nix paradigm?
You are aware that there is a substantive difference between win32
and *nix gui interfaces, right?
VB is win32 specific for a reason: It was designed to make heavy use of the
hooks available in the win gui/core.

For the same reason there is no sound technical reason to have vb for linux.
You have three perfectly good languages, each with at least one simple api for graphical user interfaces, available.
Advice: Learn one.

I thought before I started programming:
"Can I use this language anywhere?"
If the answer was no, I seriously considered not wasting my time.
BTW: Python,Perl and Tcl/Tk also work
well for windows.

Candidly:
This drama about 'attracting developers'
to linux with vb makes me ill.
We simply don't need it.

 

[venkman]

I agree with Mars.
Furthermore, the effort required to make VB work in Linux is not worth the time. Improving linux instead of making it compatible with Windows is much more important. Also, it should be noted that techies who are not constantly interested in learning new things and adapting their skill set will not last very long. A fellow programmer and friend once told me that, "You couldn't have a calcified brain to succeed in this industry." The argument that we should be developing software to allow vb developers or any developers the luxury of not learning new information is ludicrous. A truly good programmer is a good programmer in any language. Developing software to make software development easier makes sense, but is not the same thing. You should always be open to learning new techniques, languages, programs, and operating systems if the overall result is a better product.

-Venkman

 

[tedsmith]

Wow I stirred up something here!
What I want to do is to make an app that runs by itself in a series of forms like in VB.
I want to have the usual collection of indexed controls and get data from network, comms and a database.
I want a program to have the ease of form design by importing controls like VB's activeX
Can Perl make a stand alone exe file just like vb does?

 

[marsd]

Yes:

http://perlbin.sourceforge.net/perlbin-0.01.html

 

[bluegroper]

Or skip VB and try perl instead.

 

[Norwich]

What you are after is an IDE for Linux - not VB per say (Integraded development environment).

Check out Kylix from Borland.

 

[marsd]

What are you talking about norwich?

The poster said he wanted to develop a
'multiwidget' application to act as
a public information board and wanted
a language similar to VB.

What's an ide going to do without a language?
LOL.

 

[gwinn7]

I fully understand that VB was for accessing Win32 interfaces.

I am looking at the cost of businesses and individuals in being able to port skills and code to a different platform. Linux is a great OS. If Linux is going to compete with Microsoft (or attract Windows pros), it has to remove the barriers between the two systems. It is simply intelligent to make it easy for a Windows Programmer, IT Pro, or end-user to use Linux. If that means helping VB programmers write their code on the Linux platform, then Great!

From a technical geek perspective (I am one too!), it does not make sense, as you are saying. I fully agree that programmers need to adapt to changes and learn new technologies and techniques; even languages. However, VB programming is a great skill to have. Personally, I enjoy the capability to fluently type it and write code like it was my first language. How cool would it be to tell a manager that hey, I don't have to learn a new language to write code for this platform. Linux supports that too! Plus, VB is a great starter language, its inevitable that that programmer will likely pick up a book on Perl or Python and start coding it.

Its not necessarily the technical practicality I am arguing here. Its saving time, money, and generating the perception to corporate types that its worth the money to program for Linux. I have a real life example to support this.

So, yes, I strongly believe that VB has a place and the language and the large VB skill base out there should not be simply ditched just because Linux developers may say so. To learn a new language period costs a lot of time, heartache, and expense.

Making Linux a better OS and all that compatibility stuff is great and is the most important priority. But, this does not mean that the VB project will be favored over the other.

Gary
gwinn7
A+, N+, I+

 

[danielhozac]

Hey, while the Linux developers are at it, why not make the system and it's applications freeze every once in a while?

//Daniel