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Survey Results

Why are people derisive towards Visual Basic?   [Edit]

Survey period: 19 Jan 2004 to 25 Jan 2004

VB has received a lot of flak over the years. Why? (Sent in by FruitBatInShades)

OptionVotes% 
Because it's horrible39726.97
Because they have never used it16611.28
Because people are programming snobs36124.52
Because they need to grow up1177.95
Because it's not a real programming language!43129.28



 
GeneralIf u are a good programmer,no language..... Pin
Allen_198181331-Jan-04 17:54
Allen_198181331-Jan-04 17:54 
GeneralRe: If u are a good programmer,no language..... Pin
Anonymous2-Jul-05 1:14
Anonymous2-Jul-05 1:14 
GeneralAre we talking VB3 or something here... Pin
stano25-Jan-04 16:29
stano25-Jan-04 16:29 
GeneralRe: Are we talking VB3 or something here... Pin
ERV28-Jan-04 9:38
ERV28-Jan-04 9:38 
<quote>
The amount of extra code in C# that I have to write (i.e. break commands in Switch statements) bugs me.
</quote>

The amount of EXTRA code you have to write in C#???
You mean all the Dim's Byval's, EndIf's, Mod's, Sub's, WithEvents, Default Properties, Inherits and all other crap that surrounds otherwise normally readable code is no extra efford? One has to type A WHOLE OF A LOT MORE CODE in VB to accomplish the same things you get from C#. You really don't need all the extra crap.

Example:

VB.NET
Public Overloads Function TaxAmount(ByVal decPrice As Decimal, ByVal TaxRate As Single) As String
Public Overloads Function TaxAmount(ByVal strPrice As String, ByVal TaxRate As Single) As String

C#
public string TaxAmount(decimal decPrice, float TaxRate)
public string TaxAmount(string strPrice, float TaxRate)

Shall we start counting Wink | ;-)
This is just 1 random example of a very common situation.
Does this ommission of extra commands make my code less readable or harder to understand? Nope!
Au contrare, the VB.NET clutter easily takes your eye of what really matters, namely the method signature, which is embedded somewhere deep inside redundant keyword blah.
It is obvious you are overloading when 2 methods share the same name, but have different signatures. ByVal is pointless to, since the whole language (c#) has value semantics.

I rest my case....

Wouldn't you take the rather small extra effort to type in some extra ';' and '{}' and a very, very occasional break;
Besides, why are you bothered by a break in a switch statement?? Most (not all) switch statements are obsolete most of the time when you have the possibility of using polymorphism. I know, this is an OO thingy Wink | ;-) that VB.NET might be capable of doing, but a lot of VB programmers persumably are not (yet) aware of.....
Might be good to review your coding designs or use some Refactoring patterns on your existing ones. What? No good Refactoring tools for VB? Why would that be Smile | :)

I think there is an answer to all this. Look what I found when browsing the web.

This article will describe part of the problem VB has:
http://www.vsdotnet.be/blogs/tommer/PermaLink,guid,9ef43206-98fa-43ce-8d87-1097724d9ec1.aspx

This is a more bold statement (fortunately not made by me)
http://www16.brinkster.com/messydesk/db/refactvb.asp
<quote>
"According to Microsoft's Paul Vick, Refactoring support in VB.net will differ from that in C#. Terminology and structure of available features will be simplified to cater for the less rigorous intellect of the VB developer."
</quote>

Wow....
I realize this IS a very bold thing to say, and i'm not trying to offend anybody, but my personal opinion is that the VB / VB.NET language is not designed with the expert programmer in mind. This doesn't mean there are a lot of very talented programmers out there who are doing AMAZING stuff with VB.
It is the attitude MS gives VB in the first place. Microsoft treats VB programmers like kids. Take a good look at the language. Almost every keyword has either be renamed or given a whole different meaning in VB.NET. The same goes for names of concepts widely known in the professional software engineering community. Why??
Stuff like this works as a deterrant to a lot of professionals who are enchanted by elegant languages like C++,C# and Java. It does however has an attraction to the target group the language is primary designed for:
- people who are not familiar with programming at all and have easy access to otherwise complicated syntax and foreign conceptual models.
As a result, the whole language is geared to please this group.

Personaly I dislike VB.NET because is is ugly, and needs tons of clumsy and unnessesary extra commands to incorporate the same capabilities that C# programmers take for granted. (operator overloading in VB.NET for example will first see the light in Whitbey..)
Another thing that makes me a bit weary is the simple fact that C# language reference is registered by a third party. (For the MS haters among you, the C# syntax isn't the sole property of Microsoft anymore. Every change has to be approved.)
VB.NET however, well......I don't know......

Final comment on some blah statements elseware within this topic /forum about .NET in general:
.NET certainly has a future. It is a relative "new" programming concept, carefully "stolen" from SUN/Java and refined.
If you think the concept is a dead end, wake up and smell the coffee (http://www.go-mono.com/)
Microsoft might have a bad reputation, the .NET concept certainly has a future.
GeneralRe: Are we talking VB3 or something here... Pin
stano28-Jan-04 14:31
stano28-Jan-04 14:31 
GeneralRe: Are we talking VB3 or something here... Pin
ERV28-Jan-04 20:07
ERV28-Jan-04 20:07 
GeneralVB suxx Pin
Artem Moroz25-Jan-04 6:00
Artem Moroz25-Jan-04 6:00 
GeneralSomeone has to say it Pin
Andrew Torrance25-Jan-04 2:22
Andrew Torrance25-Jan-04 2:22 
GeneralRe: Someone has to say it Pin
Anonymous25-Jan-04 5:05
Anonymous25-Jan-04 5:05 
GeneralRe: Someone has to say it Pin
Jonadab the Unsightly One31-Jan-04 4:15
Jonadab the Unsightly One31-Jan-04 4:15 
GeneralIs VB portable like C/C++?? Pin
Prakash Nadar24-Jan-04 16:41
Prakash Nadar24-Jan-04 16:41 
GeneralRe: Is VB portable like C/C++?? Pin
WillemM25-Jan-04 1:47
WillemM25-Jan-04 1:47 
GeneralRe: Is VB portable like C/C++?? Pin
Jonadab the Unsightly One31-Jan-04 4:32
Jonadab the Unsightly One31-Jan-04 4:32 
GeneralRe: Is VB portable like C/C++?? Pin
zero.sg1-Feb-04 21:05
zero.sg1-Feb-04 21:05 
GeneralVB Pin
Anonymous23-Jan-04 3:06
Anonymous23-Jan-04 3:06 
GeneralRe: VB Pin
Anonymous23-Jan-04 8:10
Anonymous23-Jan-04 8:10 
GeneralRe: VB Pin
Jeremy Falcon23-Jan-04 17:10
professionalJeremy Falcon23-Jan-04 17:10 
GeneralI think we just found god! Pin
Fortner23-Jan-04 23:34
Fortner23-Jan-04 23:34 
GeneralRe: I think we just found god! Pin
Ellery_Familia24-Jan-04 2:08
Ellery_Familia24-Jan-04 2:08 
GeneralRe: I think we just found god! Pin
Anthony_Yio25-Jan-04 15:53
Anthony_Yio25-Jan-04 15:53 
GeneralRe: I think we just found an idiot! Pin
Jeremy Falcon24-Jan-04 4:14
professionalJeremy Falcon24-Jan-04 4:14 
GeneralIs that god speaking again? Pin
Fortner24-Jan-04 7:56
Fortner24-Jan-04 7:56 
GeneralRe: Is that god speaking again? Pin
Jeremy Falcon24-Jan-04 8:14
professionalJeremy Falcon24-Jan-04 8:14 
GeneralRe: I think we just found god! Pin
WillemM25-Jan-04 1:48
WillemM25-Jan-04 1:48 
GeneralRe: VB Pin
zero.sg25-Jan-04 5:42
zero.sg25-Jan-04 5:42 

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