Visual Basic evolved from the text-based language - BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code). With the development of the Microsoft Windows GUI in the early 1990’s writing programs to run in the graphical environment was difficult. Visual Basic was created by Microsoft and released in 1991 to simplify the process.
Visual Basic 2010
Is high-level | as opposed to low-level |
Object oriented | As opposed to procedure oriented. Previous versions of Visual Basic were Event Driven. They had many but not all Object Oriented characteristics. Other object oriented languages include C++, Java, and Smalltalk |
High-visual | Uses a GUI (Graphical User Interface) |
Compiled Language | Checks all instructions in the program for syntax errors, if any error is found a list of detected errors is produced. If no errors are found the entire program is translated into machine code and stored in machine language ready for execution. |
The environment we use to develop VB applications is called an Integrated Development Environment or IDE. It provides tools to draw the visual interface, write the code, compile, test and debug the application.
Visual Basic is available thru Visual Studio 2010 IDE. Visual Studio 2010 includes not only Visual Basic but also Visual C++, C#.
| 1991 | VB 1.0 | |
| 1992 | VB 2.0 | Faster |
| 1993 | VB 3.0 | Simple way to control databases |
| 1995 | VB 4.0 | Supports 32-bit processing. It generates 32-bit applications for Windows 95 or NT. Began providing developers with some object-oriented capabilities. |
| 1997 | VB 5.0 | New interface. Programmers can create their own controls. |
| 1998 | VB 6.0 | Includes new data access and Web development features. |
| 2002 | VB.NET | Major changes (among other things) enhances Internet Application. Truly an object oriented language. It is no longer interpreted. |
| 2005 | Visual Basic 2005 | improvements |
| November 2007 | Visual Basic 2008 | Express Edition, stripped-down version
of Visual Studio - Free
download Professional Edition - Free via Microsoft Academic Alliance Standard Edition |