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Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

xyplorer.com

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Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#22

The 64 bit version of XYplorer is written in the twinBASIC programming language (actually an import of the VB6 source code and forms).

This is the first I've heard of twinBASIC. I'm happy to see it on the dev tools scene.

A dev tool with a monthly subscription? That's enough to stop me right there.

An alternative is B4J, a free (as in beer) BASIC that compiles to Java, so should run just about anywhere. It also has

* B4A - a free version for Android * B4R - a free version for Arduino and ESP8266 * B4I - a paid version for iOS

The main (sole?) developer is ridiculously responsive and helpful.

Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#23
post #9

Early in my career, I worked in support for a company which made developer tooling. Male programmers would call in and do a bit of intro so you knew they were not dumb, just busy. VB6 programmers would say things like "I am a very senior VB developer". They were the only "very senior" programmers who did not seem to understand things about OS stuff. Like exported functions and their different calling conventions, why…

> They were the only "very senior" programmers...

Don't forget nodejs.

Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#24
post #9

Early in my career, I worked in support for a company which made developer tooling. Male programmers would call in and do a bit of intro so you knew they were not dumb, just busy. VB6 programmers would say things like "I am a very senior VB developer". They were the only "very senior" programmers who did not seem to understand things about OS stuff. Like exported functions and their different calling conventions, why…

I feel this narrative about less experienced developers probably made sense to you back then, but it might be time to update it!

Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#25
post #9

Early in my career, I worked in support for a company which made developer tooling. Male programmers would call in and do a bit of intro so you knew they were not dumb, just busy. VB6 programmers would say things like "I am a very senior VB developer". They were the only "very senior" programmers who did not seem to understand things about OS stuff. Like exported functions and their different calling conventions, why…

Point taken that VB was a programming ghetto. But the actual seniors were fighting the language to call Win32, writing MTS servers, and etc, they 'got' all that stuff.

I did some VBS ASP back in the day (not VB), and the language was more just annoying, at least partially due to the BASIC legacy stuff. Like it didn't even have a hashmap, you had to import something from Internet Explorer.

Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#26
post #8

Both VB6 and FreePascal/Delphi are highly capable tools even in today's context, they just need more marketing.

Delphi, maybe, sure. But starting a new project with vb6 is just weird unless it's the only language someone is familiar with. It's a dead end, even on the only platform where it makes sense to use it.

Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#27
I think VB is totally fine. It's a pragmatic solution to a real problem, and the ugliest things about it today are all a product of hindsight.

On the other hand, this rubs me the wrong way:

> So, wouldn’t it be logical to conclude: If such an application can be written in VB6 then VB6 cannot be that bad after all?

Yes, it absolutely could be bad. Our industry consists, in no small part, of turd polishing. Plenty of good software is written in bad (or ill-fitted) languages, and vice versa.

Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#28

I used XYPlorer for about 5-6 years until I made the switch to using Linux on all my machines last year. The scripting, speed, dual panes, customization, portability between machines (i used Syncthing to sync my configs between 3 machines) on XyPlorer are phenomenal and I've sadly not been able to find a Linux native file manager that's at the same level. Dolphin comes close but even with qdbus commands it sadly not…

I've used XYplorer daily since 2008. It's a fantastic piece of software and updated all the time. Wish there were something comparable in Linux.

Re: Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

#30

I recently discovered Remobjects and their development tools. Amongst other things, they create Mercury, with they describe as a modern Visual Basic that can compile for: - .Net - JVM - Android (JDK and NDK) - iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS - Windows - Linux - WebAssembly https://www.remobjects.com/elements/mercury/

Is there any documentation or tutorial on how to create a cross platform mobile app using any of their languages? The value proposition is great, but I can't find any actual code.
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