: : : : Hello
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: : : : I am just starting out to program, mostly in BASIC and am looking for a little help. First off I am using Visual Basic 6 and am wondering if this is the best program to use. I looked around on the forums and saw these different programs such as QuickBasic as well as other things and did a little research on them. I found that they -- well lets put it this way -- have "existed" for quite some time. Do programs such as these still maintain updates that meet todays standards of programming. For example, can you make software applications look -- for lack of better word usage -- "top notch"?
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: : : : Thanks,
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: : : : Will
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: : : : Hi, Will,
: : : I'm not sure what Visual Basic 6 is, but I do know that Visual Basic is a very popular language. If Visual Basic 6 is one of those older versions that runs under MSDOS, then I advise you to switch over to a newer version of Visual Basic.
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: : : As far as QuickBasic or QBasic are concerned, these languages have been dead for over 10 years and are not maintained nor supported by Microsoft. I love QuickBasic, and have been using it since the 1980's, but, sad to say, it's dying fast. Today, it's good for writing game progams and for doing some other amusing things. It's also good for learning how to program. The truth is, that virtually no company is going to develop any system using QuickBasic. Maybe a little system for personal use, like maybe a appointment reminder program for your brother the dentist, but that's about it.
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: : : Windows, Internet and new technology have quickened the death of QuickBasic. With every new version of Windows, new compatibility problems were found. Windows XP makes life difficult for QuickBasic programs. The new Vista version is expected to cause more problems, and you may have to get an emulator like DosBox to be able to run at all. QuickBasic cannot communicate directly to the Internet, nor run on a website, so that's a big restriction. New technology, like USB devices and printers, can't be accessed from QuickBasic. So, little by little, it's becoming more obsolete, no matter how great it was in its day.
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: : : Hope this info helps.
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: : : Regards..... Moneo
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: : Thanks for the reply Moneo. Visual Basic 6 is definitely a more recent program. I am not sure if it it the latest in the series but I am pretty sure that it came out after Visual Basic 2005. I could be wrong on that though. Is there any other programs similar to this maybe made by different companies that I could research?
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: Hi Will,
: In your original post, you mentioned that you were just starting out in programming. A very important consideration for you is: why are you interested in programmming, what kind of programs do you want to write, and what do you intend to do with these programs? I see two fundamental approaches:
: #1. You just want to learn some programming for fun.
: #2. You want to learn programming because some day you would like to make a living out of programmming.
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: If the answer is #1, then Visual Basic 6, which you're using now, would be fine.
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: If your answer is #2, then you need to get, learn and work with some of the more popular languages that are currently used by business. These would include:
: Visual Basic .Net
: C++
: Java
: among others.
: You would also need to learn to use databases like SQL Server or MySQL or Oracle.
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: Getting into programming in this world of languages, is not easy. Learning by yourself with tutorials and online courses, would be very tough. You would probably want to take some courses at a local community college or accredited computer school.
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: Doing all this by yourself, can become expensive, time consuming, and frustrating. I don't know how old your are, but if you're old enough to get a job, then a good idea would be to find a company in your area that is developing state-of-the-art systems. Then try to get a job there, maybe a part-time job, as a programmer trainee or apprentice. The salary is not important. This is by far the best way to learn. It's called "on the job training."
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: Good luck, Will!
:
: Regards..... Moneo
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Yeah...i think you are right about me getting a part time job, but the only problem is that I live in an area where it would be hard to get a job like that. Plus I havent been able to get enough experience in the art of programming to get a programming jon, whether it be a training one or a real one. So I will probably try to look for some good computer school to go to. Thanks for the added computer languages. I'll research those and see what I can do about gaining knowledge on them by myself.
Thanks again for the help.
