>>I really don't want to jump into the larger debate here, since it's been obvious for a while that .NET is Microsoft's developer focus, but wanted to speak to this point specifically. Despite all the hollering and screaming from the VB developer community about the amount of VB 6 code which is broken by VB.NET, support for VB6 has not been dropped. Microsoft announced that full support of VB 6 would continue until 2005 and fee-based support would be available until 2008. According to Microsoft that is an unprecedented period of support for any Microsoft product ever. Do they want VB6 developers to migrate to VB.NET? Yes, clearly. (Just like they want VFP developers to migrate to VFP 8). Have they stopped supporting VB6? No.
>
>Mike,
>
>I agree with you, however ...
>
>I guess it depends on your definition of "support". I wouldn't call myself a "VB programmer" so I usually resort to jump-starting from code samples. MS pulled their code samples (etc) from their site. I happen to dislike this level of (non) "support".
>
>If I had a choice between .NET and VB 6.0, I'd go .NET, but MS isn't paying my bills; the Clients are, and they're not ready to move ... and they paid for their VB licenses. Sour grapes will make them and me take even longer to migrate (if ever).
>
>Gerry

Gerry;

I know where you are coming from.

I think it was around April of last year that Microsoft "updated" the on line MSDN Library for Visual Studio to the .NET version. Considering that the “product” (Visual Studio 7.0 .NET, etc.) was not released until February of this year seemed strange. This was a problem for me as I am using Visual Studio 6.0 (corporate standard) and it took months to get the MSDN Library installed on my machine. It was very handy to go to the Internet and access the Library but the .NET version did me no good.

Just remember when Microsoft introduces a new technology you and all your clients must embrace it immediately. You may continue to get some form of support for the most recently replaced product but there will be limitations, conditions and voids that did not exist previously. Just get two Pom Poms – one for each hand and jump up and down shouting, "ra-ra-ra a new version of software is available from Microsoft"!

Tom