Huh?? What, you think programs written in C++ don't require DLLs, OCXs, etc.? Would you consider Microsoft Word a standalone program? It's written in C++ but uses (among other things) the MFC runtime DLL. No different than a VB program needing access to the VB DLL. Of course a compiled VB program is standalone - unless you think the only truly standalone programs are those that run without an operating system.
The difference is that he seemed to be inferring that one could create apps like calculator and notepad using VB without having to distribute anything other than the .exe -- i.e. the supporting files are already within the operating system. When I think of a standalone .exe, I think of an app that can run using only the ubiquitous files that already come with the operating system. I also think of apps that may come with other files like DLLs, but do not have to be registered in the registry like many COM-based VB runtime files. In other words, you copy the app to a directory and it runs when you double-click it. If you think of an .exe that requires a separate 14MB runtime (as VB apps do) as standalone, then I guess we will never agree.
I have programmed in many various languages and, from my experience, it is not always the programming language that matters but the programmer's habits. I've seen sloppy code in C++ run horribly when compared to well structured code in Visual Basic. I am using Visual Basic to program Jasper and it has performed flawlessly. I have done testing on the times, and the difference is a non-issue. You are talking nanoseconds when compared to milliseconds of latency with transmitting / datafeeds. I consider myself to be a well structured programmer because I've been doing it since I was 6 years old. (TI-994A). C++ does have some advantages over Visual Basic, but unless you are writing a program that is enterprise level for JPM or C, then you will most likely never encounter any limitations with Visual Basic. Computer speeds are so fast that even multi-threading is a non-issue for "99%" of programming issues. If I wanted to, I could scan 100 stocks, sample them every .01 milliseconds, run complex calculations and still rip a DVD and encode it with Flask real-time. This is on a computer that isn't even 1/5'th as fast as the newest ones. That is just my opinion. The programming language will never trump the abilities of the programmer.
richtrader - OK, I guess someone can decide to call an egg a baseball too if they want to. By that very limited view, Microsoft Word and the majority of commercial programs (at least those that do more than fairly trivial functions) aren't standalone. Presumably if a PC already had the VB library installed along with the operating system (isn't that the case with at least XP?) it would then be standalone - but not otherwise? BTW - there are a lot of standard Microsoft libraries that are commonly used but which programmers can't count on already being installed on a target PC and therefore have to install them if they're not there. The normal definition is pretty standard and basic - "standalone" simply means it's directly executable (i.e., it runs without the code needing a seperate program shell) - thereby contrasting a compiled VB program (which of course is standalone) vs. some VBA code having to execute within another program's environment (and thus not standalone). Or a compiled Java program vs. some Javascript which requires a browser to execute within. Whether you have to install and/or register linked libraries is irrelavent.
Arch, I agree with you. I do. My only thing about my original post is that I felt this person was misleading the newbie programmer into thinking he could just write VB apps and use them the same way as Notepad or Calc. If the newbie had intentions of giving his apps to his friends or selling them, I did not want him to think VB was this type of development tool without the caveat of the runtime. Surely you can at least see this one point so we can drop this case of splitting hairs. Take care, Rich
Visual Studio have a app called Package and Deployment wizard. this app allow you to make setup package, which include all dll's, ocx and any other components, that you software need, to be run alone. it looks like regular setup package(like MS office) with cab files. so any app, written in VB can be easily distributed and deployed on any comp. which run on any windows OS. setup looks exactly like setup in any other apps for windows.
my only a point here-is that VB is capable enough to handle any traders needs and VBA is not. try to write(learn) something in C++ like going to deer hunting on tank........
my impression is that the guy wants to do more with the DLL data coming into his spreadsheet than spreadsheet functions allow. Wouldn't VBA allow him to do a wide range of calculations, even output to a VB application, if thats what he needed?
MS is packaging the required runtimes with the OS. Your app just runs on Windows - provided you followed the logo requirements. IMHO the correct answer for this thread is " what do you want to do ?" Many things can be done faster and better with VB / VBA. Some things still need to be done in C++ in certain situations. You might even want to consider C# or Java depending upon your goals. If you dont know C++ you wouldn't want to have to learn it jksut to write a simple program .....
i think-we should ask him, what he want to do, before make any suggestions about languages)))))) maybe all he need is few simple calculations with real time data?