[Info-vax] Programming languages on VMS

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 1/29/2018 10:11 PM, DaveFroble wrote:
> Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 1/29/2018 11:20 AM, DaveFroble wrote:
>>> Jan-Erik Soderholm wrote:
>>>> Den 2018-01-29 kl. 00:49, skrev DaveFroble:
>>>>> If someone does desire such a move, they are going to pay, dearly. 
>>>>> I had a customer that for some reason wanted to move away from VMS, 
>>>>> and to weendoze. Note that this was to most reliable system they 
>>>>> had.  I gave them a quote which I figured would put a stop to such 
>>>>> ideas. They're desire was so strong that they came up with the 
>>>>> money.  And so I totally re-wrote the software using VB6. Any sort 
>>>>> of port was nonsense.  I of course used the original for reference. 
>>>>> And I cashed the check.
>>>>
>>>> And what happened to the VB6 app? Still in use? The maintenance 
>>>> situation
>>>> for VB6 is quite bad today...
>>
>>> Not sure what you mean by "maintenance situation".  VB6 still does 
>>> today what it did in the past.  Out of support from Microsoft, as far 
>>> as I know.  I haven't been able to install it on a weendoze 7 system, 
>>> or later.  I have seen information on how to do so.
>>
>> Replaced by VB.NET in 2002.
>>
>> End of mainstream support 2005.
>>
>> End of extended support 2008.
>>
>> So 10 years without support.
>>
>> Obviously it does not stop working by magic.
>>
>> But if things break for whatever reason then users of it have a problem.
>>
>> I would consider it a risk to have a business critical application
>> depend on it.
> 
> What would one do then?  If it's a choice between the VB6 task, or 
> something worse?  Just close the doors?

Migrate from VB6 to something supported.

> Waking up in the morning is a risk.
> 
> Crossing the street is a risk.
> 
> The world is full of risks.

True.

But you evaluate the risk and possible ways to avoid risks.

For crossing the street you look careful in both directions before crossing.

For IT systems you try to stay on something supported.

> I spent an afternoon looking at VB.net.  Either it was so different that 
> I just didn't "get it", or, perhaps I just didn't want to "get it".

It is very different.

It is better to think of it as a C# compiler hacked to accept VB syntax
than as VBn, n>6.

And the .NET framework is gigantic.

I think that if you worked a bit with VB.NET then you may actually like
it - it is nice.

But of course it does not run on VMS. But it is available for Linux.

Arne