Question Newb from VB6 to finally go for .NET - Questions

[schemer]

Hi,
I am a self employed person that has wrote some shareware with VB6 in the past. When .NET came out I was one of the millions disappointed with the total change from VB6 to so called VB7. I bought VB.NET 2002 even though I was skeptical, and even got the $20 upgrade to .NET 2003. I tried to convert my VB6 app and was so confused I gave up on .NET and never looked at it since. Now it seems that after years of .NET it may have matured enough to be useful and try again as one day the VB6 stuff will get broken I imagine. I checked RealBASIC, PowerBasic, Delphi 7, and other potential languages but they looked so foreign from VB6 so I am back to MS. One of the main things I didn't like right off the bat was the ease of which people could steal your code with .NET and the need for the Dot.Obfusicator. Even though my code isn't that great, I am proud of it and want to keep it secret. :smile: Or maybe I don't want to get embarrassed when they see it. :blush: Anyway, I see that VS 2010 comes with a standard version of the obfusicator and I found a freeware (donation ware) obfusicator that looks pretty good too. So now that I am past that...I have the usual newb questions like what framework to code in? The latest 4.0 or something less as maybe I don't need to use 4.0? Should I buy the VS2010 or is the VS2008 better for some reason? When does VS 2012 come out and how does that help/hurt my recent purchase upgrade option if I buy it within my trial of less than 90 days left? Can I use my favorite .dll's (like graphs or printing) from VB6 Classic with .NET? And what is the best book if there is one, to help me switch from VB6 to VS2010 Basic?
Thanks,
schemer

 

[schemer]

Ok, I found the info on how to Target a Framework in VS2010 so I am good on that question. I believe I will buy VS2010 as the older versions are almost as pricey. I guess I will try a small conversion and start banging away at it.
Thanks,
schemer

 

[schemer]

Sorry to be talking to myself but I just started the research and printing does not appear to be a problem either. So I guess I will forge ahead, but if anyone has any good advice on a book or a link to VB6 Classic to VB.NET equivalents that will be a great source of info.
Thanks,
schemer

 

[JohnH]

While MSDN have many past resources for VB6'ers going to VB.Net, the best advice I can give, from my own experience of doing the same several times with various programming languages (including VB6), is to forget pointless VB6 specifics and comparisons, hang on to general programming principles, and just start learning VB (.Net) now. It will be a much more refreshing experience, and like anybody with previous programming knowledge you will speed through the introducory topics in no time, and further quickly advance as the foundation is laid. Have a good one when you remember how difficult and incomplete it felt first time learning basic things like type system, variables, loops and conditional statements.

 

[schemer]

John H,
Thanks for the comments. I guess not being as advanced as some people, I need all the help I can get. Like some of the active X controls or .DLL's I used for printing will be missed if I cannot use them in VB.NET. But I did enough research to see that although .NET does things different, they can still be done. I just really liked my qprinter. Do you know if it is a simple to use a VB6 dll from .NET?
Thanks,
schemer

p.s. But i definitely hear you on having a good one as to how I felt when I first started programming. Commodore 64 BASIC. Didn't get much accomplished with that. :crap:

 

[JohnH]

Do you know if it is a simple to use a VB6 dll from .NET?

Registered COM libraries and ActiveX controls can be consumed by adding reference to them, the Add Reference dialog has a separate COM tab for this. Not registered ones can be browsed to from same dialog.
ActiveX controls can also be added to toolbox with Choose Items dialog, there's also a COM tab in that dialog. When you add controls from toolbox to a form the necessary references is added to project automatically.

A more thorough article about this can be found for example here: Calling COM Components from .NET Clients

 

[schemer]

Thanks

Thanks John,
That is a relief, and good info to go with it. I want to get off to a good start with this .NET stuff so I am hoping to ask the simple questions to avoid a major roadblock half or 3/4 through a VB6 conversion.
schemer