VB.NET 1

[sentil]

Hey, anyone got an idea about VB.NET (the latest version of VB)? Just I wanted to know if the version is released and what are the extra features over VB 6.0.

Thanks!!

 

[chiph]

I installed the beta 1 last night, and haven't had too much time yet to play with it. But from a quick run-thru, the main trick is going to be unlearning everything I've been doing since VB6 came out!

For example, properties. Everyone's been used to writing properties like this:
[tt]
Public Property Get Fizzy() as String
[tab]Fizzy = m_Fizzy
End Property
Public Property Let Fizzy(RHS as String)
[tab]m_Fizzy = RHS
End Property
[/tt]
But now, they look like this, and there's only Get and Set, no Let:
[tt]
Public Property Fizzy() As String
[tab]Get
[tab][tab]m_Fizzy = Fizzy
[tab]End Get
[tab]Set
[tab][tab]Fizzy = m_Fizzy
[tab]End Set
End Property
[/tt]

I like the change, as it makes things more consistent (no more remembering if the variable is an object or not). But it's going to be a while before I change my habits.

Chip H.

 

[jmarler]

Chip,
I have had Beta 1 installed for about 2 months now and I love it (except for the bugs, but it is a beta . . . hint #1 . . . ignore the intellesense). What I really like about VB.Net, is the ability to create Free Threads using only standard VB Code and the fact that you can create forms and other objects with True inheritance.
You are right, however, when you mentioned that there is a large amount of unlearning that you have to go through in order to use. Supposedly, Beta 2 is going to bring back some of the standard features of VB6 because too many people complained . . . I'm still not sure if this is a good idea or not . . . :-I

- Jeff Marler B-)

 

[JJR]

For those interested...

Jordi Reineman


5th of april:

Microsoft announced today that it's making changes to Visual Basic.NET to make it more compatible with VB6. Details on the changes, outlined below, will be presented at VBITS in Chicago and New York

http://www.devx.com/devxpress/gurl.asp?i=0X4234188X11560

as well as VSLive! Orlando

http://www.devx.com/devxpress/gurl.asp?i=0X4234188X11561

While VB.NET includes many features developers have long requested, including inheritance, better threading, and structured error handling, the new features come at the price of changes to VB's core syntax.

Given the tremendous pressure felt throughout Microsoft to ship .NET Framework and Visual Studio.NET, making fundamental changes at this point is a significant concession to core VB users.

These changes will all be implemented in the Visual Studio.NET Beta 2, Ari Bixhorn, Microsoft Visual Basic Product Manager, informed VBITS and VBPJ. Changes include:

*The Value of True: In VB6, when True is coerced to a signed integer, the result is -1. For consistency with other .NET languages, VB.NET was going to change the value of True to 1. Instead, it will be left at -1.
Note that when a True value is passed from VB.NET to other .NET languages, it will be passed as 1.

*Behavior of Boolean Operators: Microsoft intended to change And, Or, Not, and XOr to logical-instead of bitwise-operators, with new operators taking over bitwise duties. These have been restored to their previous functionality, both logical and bitwise, as has operator precedence. In
addition, a planned short-circuiting capability has been removed from these operators, and has been reassigned to new operators: AndAlso and OrElse.

*Declaring Arrays: For consistency with other languages, Microsoft intended to change the way VB declared arrays, so that you would specify the number of elements in the array: Dim a(10) As Integer would create a ten-element array, with an upper bound of 9. This conflicts with the VB style of declaring arrays, where Dim a(10) As Integer creates an eleven-element array with an upper bound of 10. The
traditional declaration technique has been restored.

Says Bixhorn, "These changes are really for [developers] maintaining an existing code base and doing new development. They want consistency.
They don't want to have to look at a line of code and have to remember whether it's correct for .NET or VB6."

According to Bill Vaughn, President of Beta V Corporation and a keynote speaker at this month's VBITS Chicago

http://www.devx.com/devxpress/gurl.asp?i=0X4234188X11562

"Microsoft is delivering a very powerful toolset in Visual Basic.NET. By responding to feedback from the Visual Basic community, they will provide a more seamless transition from programming in VB6 to Visual Basic.NET."

Sessions on VB.Net's new syntax, new approaches to data access, C#, and the overall .NET architecture are featured at upcoming VBITS and VSLive! events.

VBITS Chicago, April 23-27

http://www.devx.com/devxpress/gurl.asp?i=0X4234188X11563

800-848-5523 or 650-833-7100

VBITS New York, June 20-23

http://www.devx.com/devxpress/gurl.asp?i=0X4234188X11564

800-848-5523 or 650-833-7100
There is still time to register by the Super Early Bird Deadline on April 18, save $300 - and the first 200 paid registrants get a free copy of VB Maximizer, an $80 utility by VBITS speaker and VBPJ author Francesco Balena.

VSLive! Orlando, October 9-14

http://www.devx.com/devxpress/gurl.asp?i=0X4234188X11565

800-848-5523 or 650-833-7100

 

[chiph]

Yes, I saw that email, thanks for posting it here.

I'm with Jeff - I'm not sure if it's a good thing for Microsoft to back off on this. I'm especially disappointed with the (lack of) changes to the boolean operators and short-circuit evaluation in expressions.

Big picture is that VB programmers in general will benefit from moving a little bit towards C/Java syntax while keeping the VB "style".

Chip H.