visual basic "programmers"??

Story: C# pulling ahead of JavaTotal Replies: 13
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tuxchick

Nov 14, 2006
4:21 PM EDT
Perhaps I am splitting hairs here, but isn't calling someone a VB programmers like saying 'lamer who can't learn a real programming language'?

Sorry, I'm still scarred from my days at $nameless_computer_publishing_empire and my battles with our VB + Access-based story "database". *shudder* I still have PTSD from it.
herzeleid

Nov 14, 2006
4:46 PM EDT
ROFL!

You've probably heard the old saw that IT majors are the ones who couldn't cut it in CS, well, I suspect VB programmers are the ones who couldn't cut it in real languages like c/c++/java etc
dcparris

Nov 14, 2006
5:11 PM EDT
O.k., well I tinkered with VBA for Access at one point, back in my Windows days. Since then, I've played more with PHP & Python. Not that I got very far, but I have tinkered some. At some point, I did manage to write a simple, but useful Python script. Does this mean I'm acceptable now?
rsevenic

Nov 14, 2006
6:21 PM EDT
No, that's not good enough - should be machine language or assembler (the latter only if you wrote your own). Sorry, Richard
dcparris

Nov 14, 2006
7:01 PM EDT
Well, I'm sure my Python looked more like assembler than Python. :-D
dek

Nov 14, 2006
8:13 PM EDT
You'd be surprised how many job requests there are that want both VB and mainframe skills. ( shakes his head and walks away muttering )

Don K.
dcparris

Nov 14, 2006
10:16 PM EDT
Hmmm... I can think of better combos from the local greasy spoon.
jezuch

Nov 15, 2006
7:21 AM EDT
I used to be a "VB programmer"... when I was 10.
dinotrac

Nov 15, 2006
7:23 AM EDT
Gosh. Sounds like we've got a bunch of nose-in-the-air types here.

I'm not a fan of VB myself, but real programmers can do real programming in just about any language. If someone were to pay me enough, I would write VB code.
herzeleid

Nov 15, 2006
7:34 AM EDT
Quoting: dinotrac: I'm not a fan of VB myself, but real programmers can do real programming in just about any language
OK, good point, a resourceful programmer will make do with the tools available... but then again, to willingly choose to use a pair of pliers to pound a nail when there's a nice hammer sitting right there, ya gotta wonder...
dinotrac

Nov 15, 2006
7:49 AM EDT
herzeleid -

No, yad don't gotta wonder so much as ask the context.

If you walk into a situation where a sizable VB codebase is in use, you really gotta justify doing something else. It can be done, but not lightly.
jimf

Nov 15, 2006
8:41 AM EDT
> but real programmers can do real programming in just about any language

What you don't realize is that most people in the computer world 'don't' program. VB and Access may not be at the top of the programming pyramid, but, they are usable by a large number of users... Not the best tool, but, the most understandable one for non programmers. Access and VB also allows users in windows to manipulate data on an immediate need basis, rather than wait for some erudite, elitist programmer with an attitude to do it weeks or even months later. Better a heavy set of pliers than not getting the nail driven at all.

Also remember that before knoda and kexi appeared for the Linux desktop, there was 'no' equivalent in Linux. For many, that was a serious deal breaker for considering Linux at all. And, before they were developed, I kept hearing all you self absorbed egotistical programmers crowing about how new users just needed to deal with the raw database.... Thanks for the attitude....
dcparris

Nov 15, 2006
9:29 AM EDT
Sure. Anytime! That's what real programmers are for. :-p

/sportin' the 'tude...
helios

Nov 15, 2006
3:07 PM EDT
/sportin' the 'tude...

Me too. uh, does it make my butt look too big?

h

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