"Alex Magidow" <axi### [at] mninternet> wrote in message
news:387B2C36.99E359D6@mninter.net...
> AFAIK, VB 5 and up do compile to native code...

Not the standard version. The pro might, I'm not sure, but I know the
enterprise does. However you still need to keep the runtime dll. I don't
think it's possible to make a program that is ONLY the exe like you can in
Delphi. Plus I haven't tried it but I've heard VB can't make all kinds of
COM objects as Delphi can. In fact the only thing that I know of that Delphi
can't make is a certain type of device driver and VB can't make that either.
It can only be made in C.

> I have to agree. You can learn it in a trimester at school(I know, I just
took a
> class in it), but its really a bad language to start learning. I prefer
the
> blood and guts approach of learning C/C++. They're much nicer language,
and
> after using them, and using VB, you'll desperately wish you had pointers
in VB.

I wouldn't go that far. C/C++ is an extremely difficult thing to learn for
someone with no programming experience. It has constructs that make no sense
at all and the only good explination is the programmers were just too lazy
to type a few extra characters. Also is uses archaic symbols heavily instead
of words that make sense and it's case sensitive which is just stupid. To a
non-programmer ORANGE means the exact same thing as orange but they are two
entirely different entities in C/C++.

I stand by Pascal/Delphi as the beginners language and C/C++ as the expert
one. In fact as I said if you only program C++ using MFC then Delphi is
probably still a better choice.

> Its nice in that it takes six seconds to get something done that takes 100
lines
> of code in C(ya, the code is cut and paste, but you know what I mean)

I agree but this is also a feature of Delphi and it doesn't teach you the
nasty habits. VB really has no strenghts at all that I can think of over
Delphi. Everything that VB can do Delphi can do also and the inverse is not
true.

> Pascal? Delphi? I've only vaugly heard of these. Anywhere with some good
infor
> on Delphi?

Well I think PASCAL is pretty much a dead language now. It used to be the
language you were taught on in before you moved up to C/C++. For example I
took AP Computer Science in high school and the AP test was in Pascal as
well as the first year of college at most major universities. I think they
switched the test to C in '94 so that pretty much meant the end of Pascal.
Delphi is based very loosly on it and calls it's underlying language Object
Pascal. You can find info on Delphi at http://www.borland.com/delphi


> Ouch, sounds expensive...sounds REALLY expensive.

Well you aren't supposed to buy them all at once. When I say move from one
to the other I kind of meant over years after you've MASTERED each not just
got the hang of them. For the record though Delphi 5 Pro comes with C++
Builder Standard and Delphi 5 Enterprise comes with C++ Builder Pro so you
only have to buy one.

> Interesting. Pity Borland doesn't release free trial versions<G>...

Then they'd have no income. Unlike MS they don't have Office or Windows to
fall back on for profits. You might be able to get some stripped down
version or something in one of the books for it, I'm not sure.

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