The future of Access VBA

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sholom Hamada
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Sholom Hamada

Does anyone have any idea if Microsoft is planning on changing Access VB in
future releases to be object-oriented like VB.NET?

I like VBA and don't like VB.NET, so I wouldn't want to develop any new apps
in Access if they were planning on changing the coding paradigm.
 
Nothing is known yet about plans for the next version. But back before
Access 2003 went into Beta, a Microsoft program manager made a statement
that VBA would continue to be supported for at least the next two versions,
i.e. Access 2003 and the next version after that. Access 2003 has just been
released, and there are usually about two years between releases, so you can
probably expect about four years before a version of Access that doesn't
support VBA is released, and probably another four or five years after that
before the last version to support VBA is no longer supported.

So, I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

Personally, I think VB.NET is great. ADO.NET and the Windows Forms object
model, particularly as it relates to data binding, I'm not so sure about.
 
Does that mean they are going to rebuild Access from scratch (rethinking the
whole model), or are they just going to change VBA?
 
It is funny, but the *real* problem here is not ms-access, but Excel!

There is billons of spreadsheets out there that have some VBA macros. Now,
there might be only zillions of ms-access. But when you combine the zillions
of ms-access + the billions of Excel spreadsheets, do you really think there
is a possibly of getting rid of VBA code?

In the early 90's Apple computer forced all software to be thrown out. They
recently did this again with their new OS. During teach time, huge amounts
of people migrated OUT of Apple. You cannot run any old mac paint software
from the Mid 1980's.


Right now, you can STILL RUN the original VisiCalc that came out for the
Original IBM pc on your new windows XP box. (we are talking bout a full
spreadsheet download that is LESS THEN 32k in size, and came out in 1981!).
And, the spread sheet is not that bad. Check it out at:

http://www.bricklin.com/history/intro.htm


My only point here is for 20 years you can still run your existing software.
In fact, you can still run the original ms-access 1.0 on your new pc which
is 10 years old. So, really, you never are FORCED by ms to upgrade. Nothing
is stopping you from ever upgrading your software. In other words, if you
want to continue to use the old VB4 version on your pc, you can. Microsoft
clearly has the BEST TRACK RECORD in the industry for forwarded
compatibility by a country mile. I have old 14 Year old FoxPro software
running on my new win XP computer right now. So, really, you can develop and
use your current products for as long as you want. In fact, I don't have any
software that I have ever BEEN FORCED to upgrade.

It is a astounding achievement my Microsoft to have kept all this forward
compatibility, and is no doubt one reason as to their incredible success.

Right now, if you look at the .net stuff is going, the VBA stuff will still
likely have to work for a VERY LONG time. (thus, you might have wrap the
application in .net, but the VBA code will still be available for a long
time).
 
Like I said, other than the undertaking that VBA will still be supported in
the next version, nothing is known yet.
 
There is billons of spreadsheets out there that have some VBA macros. Now,
there might be only zillions of ms-access. But when you combine the zillions
of ms-access + the billions of Excel spreadsheets, do you really think there
is a possibly of getting rid of VBA code?
Click to expand...

Oh no? Wouldn't you have said the same thing about VB code? Yet take a look
at what MS did. Billions of lines of code that are not the "future" any
more. And obsoleted the careers of hundreds of thousands of programmers in
one minute. No other programming language in the world died such a quick
death as VB. Sure people are still using it, but there is no *future* in it.
My only point here is for 20 years you can still run your existing software.
In fact, you can still run the original ms-access 1.0 on your new pc which
is 10 years old. So, really, you never are FORCED by ms to upgrade. Nothing
is stopping you from ever upgrading your software. In other words, if you
want to continue to use the old VB4 version on your pc, you can. Microsoft
clearly has the BEST TRACK RECORD in the industry for forwarded
compatibility by a country mile. I have old 14 Year old FoxPro software
running on my new win XP computer right now. So, really, you can develop and
use your current products for as long as you want. In fact, I don't have any
software that I have ever BEEN FORCED to upgrade.
Click to expand...

What you say is true. But you are looking at it from an end-users
perspective, while I am looking at it from a developers perspective. Can you
sell your skills as a Visicalc expert? As a VB4 expert? Can you sell a
solution written in Access 2.0 by saying "but don't worry, it will still
work on your XP computer"?

It boils down to the following - would you develop something in a product
that you felt had a good chance of becoming "obsoleted"? Wouldn't you opt
for something with more of a future?
 
It boils down to the following - would you develop something in a product
that you felt had a good chance of becoming "obsoleted"? Wouldn't you opt
for something with more of a future?
Click to expand...

Everything has a good chance of becoming obsolete - in fact, everything is
certain to become obsolete, some day. Yesterday ADO was the future of data
access technology and DAO was obsolete. Today ADO.NET, which has little more
in common with ADO than three letters in its name, is the future and ADO is
obsolete.

I would advise any professional developer (at least, any professional
developer targeting Microsoft platforms) to learn .NET. But would I advise
using it for every application? Absolutely not. As always, it's a question
of choosing the right tool for the job. For quickly developing custom
front-end apps, single-user or multi-user on a LAN, nothing comes close to
Access. For web apps, ASP.NET is way cool. In between - well, there's a big
grey area where you get to make lots of judgement calls! :-)

The one thing you can be sure about in this business is that tomorrow you'll
need to learn something new. Personally, that's why I like it.
 
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