[AccessD] : Re: Demise of VBA

Charlotte Foust cfoust at infostatsystems.com
Thu Jul 13 15:49:29 CDT 2006


There was a whole base of Excel macro users.  It was flexible and must
easier to use than the equivalent QuattroPro language.  WordBasic to VBA
was NOT 0.something.  There are still things that drive developers to
moan about the demise of WordBasic.  The trouble is that the VBA code
can be reused ... In VBA.  It can't be reused in .Net, which has a whole
different framework, and it couldn't reuse the old code developed in the
older macro languages. Nobody said progress was painless....


Charlotte Foust

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Erwin Craps -
IT Helps
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:32 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] : Re: Demise of VBA

Dropped because nobody was (really) using them....
Not to my knowledge anyway

If the migration learning curve is low like 0.something like from Word
or Access basic to VBA and the code can be reused I dont see that as a
drop, but as an upgrade...






-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Charlotte
Foust
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 5:52 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] : Re: Demise of VBA

 
And that explains Multiplan, WordBasic, the Excel Macro language and all
the other products and support they've dropped over the years?

Charlotte Foust

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Erwin Craps -
IT Helps
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 1:24 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] SUSPECT: Re: Demise of VBA

For me, MS regulary uses the "advanced scaring" marketing technique.

Well, I dont know if it really is a marketing technique but they use it
anyway.

Spread some (false or partialy false) rumours into the world that MS
will be stopping this or that in x years.
This will cause developers busy with developing a new app or developers
that are currently considering changing Dev tool to instantly move over
to the new developing tool.
Also the very fast scared people will easely switch over to the new one
out of fear.

This will create an instant an early adapters group that is a good base
to get the sales train running.

Erwin





-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of William
Hindman
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 7:10 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: SUSPECT: Re: [AccessD] Demise of VBA

...its one thing to screw with VB developers Ken ...that can be done at
a relatively low level within MS ...but when you start screwing with the
Office revenue stream you move waaaaaay up the MS food chain ...so far
the .net evangelists have closed their ears to the VB6 crowd, but they
won't be the only ones listening to the Office/VBA mob howling
...especially if the cash registers stop ringing.

...I'm encouraged by the inside politics that took control of Access Jet
away from the SQL/ADO evangelists and put it in the hands of the Access
development team where it always belonged ...those people appear to be
DAO oriented, at least their first moves after being set free give that
impression ...and anything that smells of DAO inevitably bodes well for
VBA imnsho.

...no question but that VBA has languished of late while ADO and SQL
were ascendant ...but the combination of Office VBA buried in the
corporate bedrock and a newly invigorated Access development team looks
to at least even the playing field ...we may yet go .net but it looks
more and more as if that will be an easily ported vba.net.

...just my opinion of course ...and experience near the top of the food
chain where evangelists almost always lose to the bottom line ...a
bottom line that greatly favors a new generation of vba.

William

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth Ismert" <kismert at sbcglobal.net>
To: <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Demise of VBA


> William, Erwin:
>
>> ...and thus I would believe the imminent demise of vba is greatly 
>> exaggerated.
>
> As much as I would like to agree, it just ain't so. VB6 will be gone
in
> less than two years:
>
>  Product Family Life-Cycle Guidelines for Visual Basic 6.0 
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbrun/support.aspx
>
>    "Non-Supported Phase ... Visual Basic 6.0 will no longer
>    be supported starting March 2008."
>
> VBA's fate is in grave doubt, too:
>
>  Classic VB Petition FAQ
>  http://classicvb.org/petition/faq.asp
>
>    "... But, no development has occurred on the VBA IDE in over
>    eight years; the team has been abandoned. New versions of
>    Office continue, at this point, to ship with this very old
>    technology."
>
> Does this look like a platform they plan to keep?
>
>>...and thus replacing [VBA] with VS.Net would be like replacing  Coca 
>>Cola Classic with new Coke ...the masses that feed the golden  goose 
>>would rebel...
>
> Funny you should mention that. The VB6 masses have already rebelled.
> Microsoft ignored them. See:
>
>  Classic VB
>  http://classicvb.org/
>
> Do you think the current Office user base is sufficient deterrent 
> against abandoning VBA? Don't be so sure. Microsoft walked away from 6

> million VB programmers:
>
>  ...The Disaster Known As Visual Basic 
> http://www.bitwisemag.com/copy/bytegeist/bytegeist7.html
>
> Agreed, Microsoft is in a predicament with Office/VBA:
>
>  Office and .NET: Better Together?
>
http://www.ftponline.com/vsm/2002_08/magazine/departments/guestop/defaul
t.aspx
>
> Although it will be painful for them, I feel the most likely scenario 
> is that Microsoft will walk away from VBA 1-2 years after the Vista 
> rollout, assuming it is successful.
>
> Their message to us, I feel, is clear: Change, or die.
>
> -Ken
>
> --
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> 



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