Future Directions for Visual Basic

Future Directions for Visual BasicLisa FeigenbaumMicrosoft Program ManagerVisual Studio Managed Languageshttp://blogs.msdn.com/[email protected]

Agenda• Context• VB 2010 Demo• Future Thoughts

Where Is Visual Basic Headed?

Visual Basic 1.0-3.0

Visual Basic 4.0-6.0

Visual Basic 7.0-9.0

Visual Basic 10.0++

Sibling Rivalry – VB & C#Co-Evolution

VB is so lame…C# is so cryptic…

No background compiler? Are you kidding?

Love those squiggles …

Late binding rocks…

Automatic properties

rock…I can slice bread

with XML!I can save world

hunger with Lambdas!

XML Literals still rock!

I love you for who you are…Love you too….

VS 2010 LanguageFeature VB C#Auto-implemented PropertiesCollection InitializersStatement LambdasImplicit Line Continuation N/ANamed/Optional ParametersLatebinding support (dynamic)Omit ref on COM callsInterop with Dynamic LanguagesCo/contravariancePIA deployment not neededIteratorsXML Literals

New in VS 2010Already exists in VS 2008

Demo

• Many looking for work as semicolons

• Non-profit organization dedicated to the wellbeing of underscore characters:

• www.unemployedunderscores.com

_

Underscores PutOut of Work During Economic Crisis!

Dynamic

Concurrent

Declarative

Opening Up The Box

Text

Compiler

AssemblyParse

r

Semantics

Code generator

Where Is Visual Basic Headed?

Visual Basic 1.0-3.0

Visual Basic 4.0-6.0

Visual Basic 7.0-9.0

Visual Basic 10.0++

• Visual Basic Developer Centerhttp://msdn.com/vbasic

• VB 2010 Language Documenthttp://code.msdn.microsoft.com/vbfuture

• Blogs (VB2010 Tag: Walkthroughs, Videos)http://blogs.msdn.com/vbteam (VB Team)http://blogs.msdn.com/lucian (Lucian Wischik)http://blogs.msdn.com/bethmassi (Beth

Massi)

Resources

THANK YOU!

http://blogs.msdn.com/[email protected]