There seems to be discussion of VB6, VB.net, VB.net 2005, and VB.net 2005 Express [noparse][[/noparse]non-beta] here.
I seemed to have download VB.net 2005 Express Beta 2, and then to have downloaded VB5.0 CCE [noparse][[/noparse]which is free too and less complex that VB.net 2005 Express [noparse][[/noparse]plus whatever].
Obviously, I should convert my Beta to Non-Beta if it is free, but other than that is it worth buying VB in any form or are these free versions enough for most BasicStamp use.
BY THE WAY, that Nuts & Volts·article really helped me to understand how and why I should use a MAX232 with a separate port for optimal communications.· I am printing out a hardcopy this minute to read in detail.
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"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
I agree, the Nuts and Volts article by Jon, #89, was a great read. It was written in 2002 and there have been many versions of VB since then, as you have noted. I was just trying to say, if anyone wants a free object based VB that is written to use the Dot Net Framework 2.0 and can be used to write interfaces to the Basic Stamp family, then this is a good option. Also as you noted, if you have an earlier version of VB and it works, why go the .NET route and confuse yourself learning something new.
VB6 was the last edition of VB that didn't use the .NET framework. There were a few different versions: Standard, Professional, and Enterprise. The Standard had a limited number of controls, and its .exe required a VB virtual machine to run (included in the distributable). The Enterprise version had everything but Bill's car keys, and the Professional version was in the middle. Microsoft differentiates the languages as VB and VB .NET.
Visual Studio is the Microsoft umbrella for the Visual Languages, and the current version is Visual Studio 2005. The Express versions are limited in scope versions, and are designed for entry level use. They are, however, very comprehensive for their limitations. Microsoft is currently offering a free 1 yr. license for the Express versions, available via download. This is for a non-beta release.
If you need more horsepower than express gives you, you will have to move up to a full Visual Studio product, which contains multiple languages in the box. The features vary by price point.
If anybody is set on Basic, a possible alternative is REALbasic, which is similar to Visual Basic , with no .NET framework.
I found the answer to my own question. MScomm control comes with VB4, so it looks like I might have found a new use for the old software. See, sometimes saving old stuff comes in handy later on in life.
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Mike
"Don't always think outside the box, sometimes thinking inside the box is more practical and simple." ·
mize
Posts: 15
Comments
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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax
If you are using VB6, here is a great resource:
http://www.cpcug.org/user/clemenzi/technical/Languages/SerialIO.htm
If you are using VB.net...I've got bad news...VB.net does not have Comport access (But VB.net 2005 will)
If you are using vb.net, you can download a project file here that you can use as reference:
http://www.codeworks.it/net/VBNetRs232.htm
I have referred to the authors .vb file several times, and now have a functioning application to communicate with my BS2.
So you can do something like this --
With SerialPort1
.BaudRate = 9600
.DataBits = 8
.DtrEnable = True
.Handshake = Handshake.XOnXOff
.Parity = Parity.None
.PortName = "COM1"
.StopBits = StopBits.One
End With
Charlie
·
I am getting a bit confused.
There seems to be discussion of VB6, VB.net, VB.net 2005, and VB.net 2005 Express [noparse][[/noparse]non-beta] here.
I seemed to have download VB.net 2005 Express Beta 2, and then to have downloaded VB5.0 CCE [noparse][[/noparse]which is free too and less complex that VB.net 2005 Express [noparse][[/noparse]plus whatever].
Obviously, I should convert my Beta to Non-Beta if it is free, but other than that is it worth buying VB in any form or are these free versions enough for most BasicStamp use.
BY THE WAY, that Nuts & Volts·article really helped me to understand how and why I should use a MAX232 with a separate port for optimal communications.· I am printing out a hardcopy this minute to read in detail.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
Post Edited (Kramer) : 11/16/2005 2:19:39 PM GMT
Charlie
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Mike
"Don't always think outside the box, sometimes thinking inside the box is more practical and simple."
·
Visual Studio is the Microsoft umbrella for the Visual Languages, and the current version is Visual Studio 2005. The Express versions are limited in scope versions, and are designed for entry level use. They are, however, very comprehensive for their limitations. Microsoft is currently offering a free 1 yr. license for the Express versions, available via download. This is for a non-beta release.
If you need more horsepower than express gives you, you will have to move up to a full Visual Studio product, which contains multiple languages in the box. The features vary by price point.
If anybody is set on Basic, a possible alternative is REALbasic, which is similar to Visual Basic , with no .NET framework.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Mike
"Don't always think outside the box, sometimes thinking inside the box is more practical and simple."
·
Seems like an excellent place to begin from.
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"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan