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Visual Basic has gained popularity over time because of its ease of use and easy acquisition. It's a hearty language, and allows for both stand-alone Windows programs and Web applications. With this in mind, Microsoft has met the needs of many seeking entrance into the wonder that is VB: Visual Basic 6.0, Learning Edition. Melding a standard version of Visual Basic 6.0 with a multimedia lab/tutorial polishes this product and makes VB even more attainable to those without a degree in computer science. The learning portion of this package was written and designed by Michael Halvorson, an eight-year technical editor at Microsoft Press. Also included in the package is a 218-page reference manual that contains excerpts from three beginning-to-intermediate level books also written by Halvorson: Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Step by Step: Learn by Doing, Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Programmer's Guide: Comprehensive Product Guide, and Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Developer's Workshop: Learn by Example. Getting into the tutorial includes a five-minute video presentation about the tutorial itself. And, for those who may experience hearing difficulties, or those who wish to study Visual Basic while the kids are asleep, closed captioning is available for all of the narrated demonstrations. The narration, both in audio and printed form, is lively and witty, and unexpectedly allows the creator's zest for the topic to come through. Just like in high school, each lesson is structured in a comfortable format: lecture and demonstrations, followed by a set of labs and a quiz. By no means must you start at the very beginning. Scanning some of the quizzes and activities may help you place yourself at the right spot on the learning curve--may that be introducing yourself to basic programming concepts or sharpening your existing knowledge by addressing ActiveX controls or how to use Automation technology. The tutorial and lab direction components of your learning are entirely separate from the actual Visual Basic programming environment. This means that rather than learning programming in a controlled setting, you'll be up to your elbows in the real thing. This facet of the package allows for side-by-side work--as you take your cues from the lab's directions (and yes, they often follow the empirical format), you'll then forge your own programming path in creating your own application, often from scratch. Beginners start out with the creation of an on-demand time display; more advanced users will create database front-ends and learn to manipulate the contained data. The package is truly a complete first step in a foray into Visual Basic. Aside from the tutoring component, you will also be able to install the Microsoft Developer's Network Library. Once you're familiar enough with Visual Basic, you can stretch your learning with this documentation and programming information. The library contains over a gigabyte of information--code samples, how-tos, and general reference--that you can also access directly from the disc, rather than tying up hard drive space. --Emilie Dirks |
When I was 16, I convinced my teacher at the time to plunk down $100 for this software - combined with the videos, and a small book, I taught myself how to develop Windows software in the basement of my house.
For anyone wanting to learn Windows development now, this is not the software for it. The Visual Basic language has changed drastically in the last 7 years since the .NET system was introduced, and moving from Visual Basic 6 up would be even more difficult for a novice developer.
But if you're in an environment that uses VB 6, or VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), this is the best way to learn the basics. |
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I have been using VB since it came out right after VC. I have owned every upgrade and am a professional C++ programmer, and I love VB. It's like candy. It's so easy to use. Just a medium amount of programming experience can create wonderful programs. In the earlier additions there was some confusion about global variables, user written procedures and subroutines. They were in separate locations causing confusion, but everything is on one page now. You can see every bit of your code by scrolling up and down a single page. Now for the down side, there is a lot left out of the learning edition. I can't really fault Microsoft. If they are going to have lesser and better versions then they have to leave something out of the lesser. Finally and perhaps most important don't forget to use the wealth of help and information found on the online help section. Leave you Internet on and while in VB go up to help and select online help. There is an entire library at your disposal. Try a search, or read general information on a topic. Anything and everything you might want to know is there. Unfortunately in the learning addition most of the advanced functionality is left out. So this wonderful library just tempts you. |
