Ask HN: Why did Visual Basic die?

Article summary

The author reminisces about using Visual Basic in the 90's and how it provided a unique development experience that has not been matched by modern tools. The author wonders what problems led to the abandonment of Visual Basic and why a solid replacement has not emerged. Visual Basic was known for its rapid development capabilities and GUI builder. The author is not a fan of Microsoft products but acknowledges the productivity offered by Visual Basic.

Main themes

• Visual Basic history and evolution
• GUI builders and rapid development
• Programming paradigms and spatial thinking
• Excel and VBA
• Language preferences and transitions
• Legacy systems and upgrade paths

What commenters say

• Visual Basic did not die, but rather evolved into Visual Basic .NET, which is still supported and used today.
• The original Visual Basic had a superior GUI builder that has not been matched by modern tools, including those in Visual Studio.
• The transition of Visual Basic to the web was not smooth, with Webforms being a leaky abstraction that worked against the paradigms of the time.
• Some developers prefer Visual Basic .NET over C# due to its ease of use and rapid development capabilities, while others prefer C# for its more extensive libraries and features.
• Excel's VBA is still widely used in finance and other industries, with some developers building complex applications and automation using the platform.
• The 2D programming paradigm of Excel is unique and allows for a different kind of spatial thinking and flexibility, but can also be limiting for programmers who are used to linear code.
• The upgrade path from Excel is often to Access or custom apps, rather than to more advanced features within Excel itself.