question

[ArNy]

ok iam new to programming software,so iam a bit confused.is visual basic the same thing as c++.iam guessing it isnt. does visual basic show you what your creating or??what?
-thanks

[Comatose]

Visual Basic and C++ are entirely different languages. It boils down to syntax and control. For example, a standard test to see if the variable X is equal to 10, will look like this in Visual Basic:

if X = 10 then
     msgbox "yes It is"
end if

While in C++ it may look something like this:

if(X == 10) {
     print "yes It is\n";
}

Now, that obviously isn't the only difference, but on a much deeper and fundamental level, they are completely different also. Let's face it, C++ is much more difficult to learn than Visual Basic..... but with that, it's also much more powerful.

If you know both languages, it would pretty much come down to, what is your major goal? If speed in building programs is really needed, you may want to go with VB.... VB Let's you design and code your application in much less time, but it will certainly (on slower machines) show a serious difference in how fast the apps run. Sure, I'd build a rolodex program, or something high level like that with VB....... but not something crucial to speed..... like a program that does program intesive computations.

[ArNy]

alright thanks also microsoft makes visual basic editor dont you have to buy it?

[Comatose]

Yes, but they had free editions (control creation learning edition), and they have a free download for the newer VB Express.... though, it's based in the .NET syntax, and not in legacy VB. Don't be fooled, After VB6, it's no longer VB..... Microsoft Changed it drastically. So while the basic syntax is the same, the language itself is not.

Microsoft Also Discontinued Legacy VB (VB4, 5, and 6), so you can't even buy it (not new, you can buy it off e-bay or if you know someone who owns it and will sell it).

[ArNy]

i downloaded microsoft visual c++ edition would that work our what would you prefer

[Comatose]

Oh, it's not a matter of what I prefer..... it's a matter of what you would rather learn, and furthermore program in. However, if you are going to be learning C++ (or visual C++ or C) then you are in the wrong forum. You'll want to post in the C/C++ (or VC++, but I don't think there is one for that specifically) forum. I don't care for .NET, so... I prefer VB6, but it's entirely up to you.