How does visual basic compare with other programming languages such as FORTRAN, Java and Perl?

Visual basic is a fairly easy language to pick up. However, it is generally not used to make very large applications. VB was also created for MS Windows.





I have almost no experience with perl. As TJ said, it is primarily a server side language. It is also sometimes considered a 'duct tape' language that can quickly fix things or solve problems.





Java is a very versatile and portable. It uses a program called a java virtual machine (JVM) to run partially compiled code on any machine. This allows the developer to write one program that will be able to run on Windows, Solaris, Unix, Linux, OS X, etc. A JVM is available for every major operating system. Technology has improved since it was first released many years ago. This allows java based programs to run much faster than they could when java was first created. However, it is still not quite as fast as some languages and it can use more system resources to run the application.





While updates to the fortran language specifications are still being made, for the most part, is dead. The only places you really see it used are in older systems. Some companies have a lot of their software based in old, dead languages and replacing their software with the newest programming languages would not be cost effective while the old software still does its job. Because of situations such as this, some people still learn fortran. As said by another person, it used to be considered 'the scientific programming language' due to its speed and accuracy in numerical computations.





C++ is one of the primary languages used for large application development. It is complete and fast. However, it is not portable as java is. If you want to run the program on a Unix machine, it must be compiled to do so. If you want to run the program on a Windows machine, you will have to re-compile it to run on windows. Furthermore, the language doesn't have nearly as many of the features built in to it as Java. Java has standard libraries that allows the programmer to create graphical user interfaces. C++ must use 3rd party libraries to create GUIs. While there are some cross-platform libraries, most are not. Thus, if you write a C++ program for windows, unless it is a simple program, you will probably not be able to recompile it for another system without making modifications. C++ allows the user more control over memory manipulation and allocation that languages such as Java or VB. This can be very useful, but it can also allow the programmer to easily shoot himself in the foot if not careful.

How does visual basic compare with other programming languages such as FORTRAN, Java and Perl?
Sort of an odd question, but...





FORTRAN is fairly outdated. Once the "scientific" language, it's been replaced by C/C++ (note - I've worked in all these languages).





Perl is mainly server-side. You don't really make desktop apps in Perl.





Java is a mix - it's very C-like, and very well designed, but you need a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to run it. Most machines have that installed nowadays. It's platform-independent.





Visual Basic is more designer oriented, but you can write nearly anything in it, although for some things you'd be better off just working in pure C. It's not platform-independent like Java, but it's a bit more "accessible".
Reply:I guess that depends on what you're planning on using it for. VB is extremely strong at making Windows Forms (meaning, any program that pops up in the Windows environment. i.e.-Notepad, Calculator, Word, Excel, etc).





However, its portability is non-existent. VB is a Windows-only language, so from a business standpoint, it's almost useless.





Most companies will use Java or another highly portable language (C/C++) to deliver their products.





Again, it all depends on what you need it for :)

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