Should I Learn Visual Basic or Python?

Should I learn Visual Basic or Python? Which programming language do you think is better?

Visual Basic is pretty basic.

I think that's the origin of the name.

Visual Basic is based on the old Basic language, when that was an upgrade from machine language and punch cards.

Is it relevant today?

Have you seen the ads for VB.net developers for Windows servers? VB.net is Visual Basic on a dot net platform.

If there are paying jobs in it, it is still relevant. People are voting with their dollars.

More programmers use Python for casual scripting when they have a choice to use it. And there are more open source code modules for Python.

Probably because Windows is so closed.

Objective C and the iOS are worse in that regard.

I've heard that Python is more terse, less verbose.

It was designed with efficiency in mind. Visual Basic carries over some of the verbosity from Basic, though it was an improvement over the really old programming methods.

Which is why punch cards only exist now in libraries. Why is Visual Basic even used at all?

Windows and its huge market share.

I'm sure something else will come along and take over.

Windows has the benefit of large market share because it was the first OS for enterprises like IBM. It retains market share by coming with a lot of hardware, and because competitors like Unix and Linux are so diverse and complex.

And then there is Mac.

Mac has great laptops and phones, but it is lacking when you want to set up a server, run a corporate wide payroll system or want to run engineering CAD software. VB at least runs server applications for enterprise wide applications.

And what about Python?

Python is newer but catching up in that area.

So I need to learn VB to support legacy applications. After I learn Python, I can get paid a fortune to migrate them to a newer language.

[PaulRoneClarke]

Every year VBA gets a little bit more powerful and a fair bit simpler to use. Microsoft seem to be pumping a lot of money making sure VB remains powerful and relevant.

[robertohene-bonsusimmons]

they are all good but I recommend VB for beginners

[crnkmnky]

Okay, I see Agent Reid, Agent Morgan, and the lovely Garcia. 😘 They’re supposed to be tracking down the unsub, not chatting about software development! 🤪

[gitibozorgmehr]

So if I have no business in platforms other than windows, python has nothing at all over VB.NET or even VBA for that matter. thank you for getting my head out of python for good and hopefully for ever. good riddance.