Microsoft Visual Basic
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| Microsoft Visual Basic | |
|---|---|
| Name | Microsoft Visual Basic |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Released | 1991 |
| Latest release | Visual Basic 6.0 (1998) / Visual Basic .NET (2002) |
| Programming language | BASIC |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| License | Proprietary |
Microsoft Visual Basic Microsoft Visual Basic is an event-driven programming language and integrated development environment originally created for rapid application development on Windows. It introduced a visual form designer and component model that accelerated creation of graphical user interfaces, database applications, and COM components across multiple editions and enterprise scenarios. Influential in the 1990s and early 2000s, it intersected with platforms, tools, and organizations shaping software ecosystems.
History
Visual Basic emerged from earlier BASIC dialects and interpreters, evolving alongside companies and projects such as Microsoft acquisitions and product lines. Its early lineage traces to BASIC implementations used on Altair 8800, DEC PDP-11, and home systems from Commodore and Apple Computer. The language grew during the era of graphical user interfaces pioneered by Xerox PARC, commercialized by Apple Lisa and Apple Macintosh, and popularized on IBM PC compatibles. Major milestones included integration with the Component Object Model and interoperability with OLE, influenced by work within Microsoft Windows groups and standards bodies. The release cadence reflected market competition with development tools like Borland's offerings and independent environments such as Turbo Pascal and AutoHotkey derivatives. Corporate strategy debates at Microsoft about managed code and the .NET Framework later resulted in a successor platform and language redesign.
Language Features
The language provided a high-level BASIC syntax influenced by vendors such as Gordon Bell’s early BASIC variants and educational dialects used at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Features included a form-based event model akin to paradigms used in Smalltalk environments and rapid prototyping concepts from Alan Kay’s research. Visual Basic supported COM interoperability compatible with components built for Internet Explorer and ActiveX controls. Data access was commonly implemented via ODBC and DAO or via ADO in later releases, linking to database systems such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Corporation products, and desktop engines like Microsoft Jet Database Engine. Error handling used constructs reminiscent of older languages maintained in systems at Bell Labs. The type system mixed variant-centric semantics with explicit types, and later editions adopted features converging with C# and Common Language Runtime concepts.
Development Environment
The integrated environment combined a visual form designer, property browser, and code editor, reflecting GUI paradigms advanced by projects like Visual Studio siblings. Tooling supported drag-and-drop from control palettes, linking to component repositories used in enterprise shops including Accenture and Deloitte consulting practices. Debugging facilities interfaced with system-level diagnostics similar to tools used by Windows teams at Microsoft and kernel debugging approaches from WinDbg workflows. Deployment models used packaging technologies overlapping with installers from InstallShield and system administration patterns employed by organizations such as IBM and HP in corporate IT. Source control integrations aligned with systems like Microsoft Visual SourceSafe and later Git ecosystems adopted by projects at GitHub and Bitbucket.
Editions and Versions
Releases spanned hobbyist, professional, and enterprise editions, reflecting marketing strategies employed by firms such as Intel and AMD in platform support. Major versions included early 1990s editions competing with Borland Delphi and later transitions to Visual Basic .NET aligning with .NET Framework launches developed by teams within Microsoft Research. Licensing arrangements touched corporate procurement models involving vendors such as Oracle Corporation and SAP where interoperability was necessary. Community and third-party ecosystems included add-ins by firms like Add-in Express and controls by vendors exemplified by ComponentOne and DevExpress.
Usage and Applications
Visual Basic powered line-of-business applications in finance departments at institutions like Bank of America and Wells Fargo, scientific utilities in research groups at NASA centers, and internal tools in technology firms such as Intel Corporation and IBM. It was widely used to create desktop GUIs, database front ends connecting to Microsoft Access, reporting solutions integrated with Crystal Reports, and automation scripts interfacing with Microsoft Office components including Excel and Word. In education, curricula at universities like University of California, Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology included Visual Basic for teaching event-driven programming and rapid prototyping. Independent software vendors and consultants from firms such as Capgemini and Ernst & Young built commercial applications and migration services around its ecosystem.
Criticism and Controversies
Critics highlighted portability and architectural concerns when compared to languages developed in academic settings at Stanford University and MIT or industrial languages from Sun Microsystems such as Java (programming language), arguing about managed runtime design and vendor lock-in tied to Microsoft ecosystems. Security researchers from institutions like SANS Institute and practitioners influenced by CERT Coordination Center documented vulnerabilities related to ActiveX and COM controls used in deployments. Licensing debates and corporate strategy decisions during transitions to the .NET Framework prompted discussions in media outlets covering Antitrust Division cases and regulatory scrutiny involving European Commission and United States Department of Justice technology policy reviews. Migration and legacy-support concerns engaged consultancies including Accenture and Deloitte addressing modernization for clients at General Electric and Siemens.