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InfoQ Homepage News VB6 to VB.NET Conversions: Still Not a Reality

VB6 to VB.NET Conversions: Still Not a Reality

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Visual Basic 7, also known as VB.NET, was released in 2002. At that time a significant number of compatibility issues were identified. Many of those issues were not changes to the core language but rather missing libraries.

For example, at the time it was impossible to convert any VB application that had printing capabilities. Though the VB6 Printer object was quite primitive, and the PrintForm command downright trivial, neither were included in VB.NET. Even the line and shape controls, which are essentially a couple of properties and an OnPaint event, were missing.

It is now 2007 and Microsoft has finally released a Visual Basic 2005 PowerPack that includes these features. What's troubling is that there is no mention of including this in VB 9 or the .NET 3.5 framework. Nor is there any mention of integrating this into the VB6 to VB.NET migration wizard.

With practically all support for VB 6 in the process of being ended, it is imperative that applications be migrated to a platform with long-term viability. But with Microsoft only giving lip service to the migration path, the future looks bleak for the countless companies running on VB6 applications.

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