Visual Basic 2005
Frequently Asked Questions
These are a few of the questions computer science
teachers in high schools are asking me about Visual Basic 2005. This is also
posted at
my
blog where you can easily ask more questions in the comment section.
Why should I upgrade from Visual Basic 6.0 to Visual Basic .NET?
Why should I choose to teach using Visual Basic .NET?
Why should I upgrade from Visual Basic .NET 2002/2003 to Visual Basic .NET 2005?
When will support for Visual Basic 6.0 end?
Will
the Visual Basic 6.0 runtime be available for Windows Vista?
How much does it cost for a high school to upgrade to Visual Basic .NET 2005?
What are the configuration requirements for Visual Basic .NET 2005?
Why should I upgrade from Visual Basic
6.0 to Visual Basic .NET?
-
The ability to teach true
Object Oriented Programming with a beginner friendly syntax (i.e. think
better preparation for students later learning AP CS)
-
Use of the .NET Framework
libraries – lots of things that used to be hard to do are now much easier.
For example, sorting and searching arrays, playing sounds and getting system
information can all be done without complicated system calls or writing a
lot of code.
-
A more helpful and
productive IDE – IntelliSense, the error messages, especially in VS 2005,
are much better than in VB 6.0
-
Opportunities to use the
same IDE for other languages (C++, C#, J#)
-
Lots of new teaching and
learning resources (http://msdn.microsoft.com/coding4fun
,
www.mainfunction.com)
Why should I choose to teach using Visual
Basic .NET?
-
The syntax for Visual basic
is very friendly to beginners. While Visual Basic is a full strength
professional grade programming language its roots are embedded in BASIC
which was invented to teach programming to everyone.
-
Windows Forms allow
students to create real Windows programs quickly and easily. By achieving
early success students are encouraged to continue.
-
Visual Studio supports
Pocket PC programming in Visual Basic though the use of a built-in emulator.
Students can also install programs on their own Pocket PCs and share them
with friends.
-
Unlike tools designed just
to be simple introductory environments,, Visual Basic scales up to very
sophisticated programs and projects.
-
Visual basic is today one
of the most widely used programming languages in the world with millions of
programmers using it.
Why should I upgrade from Visual
Basic .NET 2002/2003 to Visual Basic .NET 2005?
-
Edit and Continue. This
feature that was popular with VB 6 and earlier is back and more powerful
than ever. It allows more flexibility in debugging and in correcting errors.
-
Better debugging. The
newest Visual Studio gives more and better warnings and error messages
before the code is compiled. Autocorrect provides suggestions for many
common errors.
-
The Immediate window in
Design mode. This feature allows students to execute and evaluate code
without running the whole program. This is another great feature from VB 6
which has been brought back to meet customer needs.
-
The My Namespace. Students
can easily access system information and resources. For example:
My.Computer.Audio lets students play sound files without complicated system
calls.
-
Snap lines help students
line up objects on a Windows form far more easily and accurately than ever
before.
-
Generic data types. Similar
to Java generics or C++ template classes.
-
Read more about these and
other new features
here.
When will support for Visual Basic 6.0
end?
The answer depends
on “what do you mean by support?” The complete support explanation for Visual
Basic 6.0 is available at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbasic/support/vb6.aspx
-
Mainstream support ended in
March of 2005.
-
Extended support will
continue until March 2008
Will the Visual Basic 6.0 runtime be available for Windows
Vista?
The Visual
Basic 6.0 runtime system will be included in Windows Vista (the next
generation operating system from Microsoft) so teachers who have Visual Studio
6.0 and want to use it into the future will be able to do so with Windows Vista.
How much does it cost for a high school to
upgrade to Visual Basic .NET 2005?
-
The software is available
via the
MSDN AA program for $299 for the school. This allows a school to install
the software on all of the CS lab computers, the CS teacher computers, and
lets students install the software on their own computers at home.
-
An alternative is the free
download of
Visual Studio Express Editions. The Express Versions do not offer the
complete set of features available in the full IDE of Visual Studio 2005
-
A number of states have a
state-wide MSDN AA agreement that provides the MSDN Academic Alliance (MSDN
AA) program to all high schools in the state. There is a
map of these states at MainFunction.com
