[Old_Dude]

Hello,

I'm trying to learn V/B and the book I bought came with V/B 6 but the "Make .exe" function in the menu is greyed out (unavailable). What's the cheapest, legal way for me to compile the executable files?

Thanks,

OD

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Get the O'Reilly VBScript in a Nutshell book and it'll let you do it without compilation using Windows Scripting Host (WSH).

VB6 is not really the best investment for the future, but if you want to learn and play, WSH does it on the cheap.

J

 

[Old_Dude]

The book I have mentions another book that comes with a CD that contains a VB compiler but I can't find it at the store (discontinued &/or reclaimed by publisher - ?).

In hopes of obtaining a compiler, I downloaded MS VB "Express" (?) at work today - it also won't create a stand alone, executable file.



Oh well - guess I could fork out $380 for the Professional version, but my budget is "gone" as I just ordered a spiffy new notebook w/all the bells-n-whistles. I'm tempted to obtain a version from academicsuperstore.com, but, I'm still unsure which version to get that will allow me to make a stand alone .exe file.

Danke,

OD

 

[jimmydean]

VB6 will no longer be supported in the next version of .NET. The version of .NET after that will remove all VB support. Therefore, VB is pointless to learn unless you start with .NET. At least if you lean the environment, things like C# is easier to pick up.

I love Micro$oft

If you'd like, you can buy my version of VB.NET studio for cheap (like $50). I had to buy it for school, then decided I would stick to Linux for a dev environment.

 

[Old_Dude]

So, Visual C++ would be good to learn?

The reason I wanna do this is because I'd like to have the students run an application that would be their test - would instantly provide their grade and - if written properly - would reduce cheating.

Thanks,

OD

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Visual C++ would be a good investment in the long term. The learning curve is, ah, steep, as it is for other tools.

 

[jimmydean]

Java is still my language of choice because of it's portability. I also think it's easier than some with a ton of online help, hints, tips, and code to learn from.

You can do a lot with VB, but it's future is dim.

 

[Old_Dude]

Java . . . I'm going with Java - just downloaded the s/w from Sun . . . this makes more sense . . . I began learning Java a few years ago . . . thanks for the recommendation JD!

 

[jimmydean]

Not a problem. The projects I am working on now are all JavaScript (not like real Java), so working with uncompiled code is strange. It has some cool things like being able ot make changes on the fly or on site without a dev environment. Still use CVS for source control, but without a compiled package, there is still a risk of bad thing happening.

Good luck with that, I think you will find you can do the project you want with it no problem.