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Visual Basic is an ideal programming language for developing sophisticated professional applications for Microsoft Windows. It makes use of Graphical User Interface for creating robust and powerful applications. The Graphical User Interface as the name suggests, uses illustrations for text, which enable users to interact with an application. This feature makes it easier to comprehend things in a quicker and easier way.

Visual Basic was developed from the BASIC programming language. In the 1970s, Microsoft started developing ROM-based interpreted BASIC for the early microprocessor-based computers. In 1982, Microsoft QuickBasic revolutionized Basic and was legitimized as a serious development language for MS-DOS environment. Later on, Microsoft Corporation created the enhanced version of BASIC called Visual Basic for Windows.

Visual Basic is an event-driven programming language. This is called because programming is done in a graphical environment unlike the previous version BASIC where programming is done in a text only environment and executed sequentially in order to control the user interface. Visual Basic enables the user to design the user interface quickly by drawing and arranging the user elements. Due to this spent time is saved for the repetitive task.

Important Features of Visual Basic

• Full set of objects - you 'draw' the application
• Lots of icons and pictures for your use
• Response to mouse and keyboard actions
• Clipboard and printer access
• Full array of mathematical, string handling, and graphics functions
• Can handle fixed and dynamic variable and control arrays
• Sequential and random access file support
• Useful debugger and error-handling facilities
• Powerful database access tools
• ActiveX support
• Package & Deployment Wizard makes distributing your applications simple

Visual Basic 6.0 vs Previous versions of Visual Basic

The original Visual Basic for DOS and Visual Basic For Windows were introduced in 1991.

Visual Basic 3.0 (a vast improvement over previous versions) was released in 1993.

Visual Basic 4.0 released in late 1995 (added 32 bit application support).

Visual Basic 5.0 released in late 1996. New environment, supported creation of ActiveX controls, deleted 16 bit application support.

Visual Basic 6.0 - released in mid 1998s - some identified new features of Visual Basic 6.0:

• Faster compiler
• New ActiveX data control object
• Allows database integration with wide variety of applications
• New data report designer
• New Package & Deployment Wizard
• Additional internet capabilites.

If you ever used Visual Basic 3, you too could have known everything. Visual Basic 3 was a reasonably small but powerful language. Visual Basic 4 added classes to the language and made Visual Basic much more complicated. Versions 4, 5, and 6 added more support for database programming and other topics such as custom controls, but Visual Basic was still a fairly understandable language, and if you took the time you could become an expert in just about all of it.

Visual Basic .NET accelerated the expansion of Visual Basic tremendously. The .NET Framework added powerful new tools to Visual Basic, but those tools came at the cost of increased complexity. Associated technologies have been added to the language at an ever - increasing rate, so, today, it is impossible for anyone to be an expert on every topic that deals with Visual Basic.

System requirements for Visual Basic depends on the version of Visual basic software. Visual Basic 6.0 for windows requires atleast Microsoft Windows 95/Windows NT 3.51, 486 processor and a minimum of 16 MB of RAM. A complete installation of the most powerful version of Visual Basic 6.0, the Enterprise Edition, requires more than 250 MB of hard disk space.

Freetutes.com has Visual Basic Tutorials explained with examples and source code. This online Visual Basic tutorials are intended for programmers of all levels. Whether you are a beginner or and advanced VB learner you are absolutely here at the right place to learn what really you should learn. (You will currently find only Visual Basic 6.0 tutorials. We are working on to provide you with Visual Basic.NET tutorials and more other IT related tutorials as soon as possible. Check back now and then for updated and new lessons from Freetutes.com)

Select a Visual Basic Tutorial below:

Learn Visual Basic 6.0 - Tutorial for Beginners - A comprehensive Visual Basic 6.0 starter kit for beginners to Visual basic programming. If you are new to programming or to visual basic this, beginner level tutorial will be the definite guide which you really should go through. Step by step lessons with examples and source code will help you to understand the lessons easily and quickly. Click here to view the table of contents of Visual Basic 6 for beginners.

Learn Visual basic 6.0 - Tutorial for Non beginners (Advanced Visual Basic Tutorial) - If you already have a basic knowledge in Visual Basic 6.0 programing then you can enhance your Visual Basic knowledge by learning more in-depth topics from this "visual basic 6.0 tutorial for non beginners". This tutorial conducts you on a self-guided tour of all the areas covered by the VB6 Distributed Applications and the VB6 Desktop Applications and teaches you the specific skills you need to achieve in such area. Click here to view the table of contents of Visual basic 6 for non-beginners (advanced learners)

Other Tutorials by Freetutes.com

Learn System Analysis and Design - This tutorial is for beginners to System Analysis and Design (SAD) Process. If you are new to computers and want to acquire knowledge about the process of system development, then you will find useful information in this tutorial. This tutorial is designed to explain various aspects of software development and different techniques used for building the system. This tutorial is a good introductory guide to the need and overall features of software engineering.