[mono-vb] Windows Visual Basic Developer hoping to migrate to Mono...

Thu Mar 2 16:52:38 EST 2006

On Thu, 2006-03-02 at 06:54 -0800, Redefined Horizons wrote:
> Rafael,
> 
> Thank you for your quick responses.
> 
> I think I will follow the following design plan:
> 
> I will maintain two versions of my application. The first for the MS
> Windows operating system which will be written using sharpDevelop and
> Windows Forms. The second will be for Linux. It will be written using
> MonoDevelop and GTK#.
> 
> Although this system will mean more work on the developoment end, I
> think it will ensure compatibility with MS Windows. At the same time
> it will give me the opportunity to support the efforts with Visual
> Basic .NET on Mono.
> 
> I can definately commit to bug reporting. I would also like to help
> with the documentation.
> 
> So let me ask you just a couple more questions that will help me get started:
> 
> [1] Where can I find some information that will help me get started
> using Visual Basic .NET on the Mono platform?

Our wiki (the Project Mono site) used to have a short page on using
mbas, but mbas -help brings most of the needed information to
compile .vb source files. Assemblies compiled with vbc 1.x (Visual
Studio.NET) to 'Release' target should run on Mono as is, just copy them
to your Linux box and do "mono yourapp.exe"

> [2] Where do I file a bug report?

http://www.mono-project.com/Bugs shows how and have some handy links

> [3] Is there a wiki for Visual Basic .NET on Mono? If not, can I start one?

Sure you can start one that maybe later we can fold back on Mono's site,
which is a wiki.

> [4] Who would I talk to about contributing documentation?

Miguel de Icaza, is the man. But see our guidelines and the format we
use (we a have a documentation browser and tools to convert xml into the
browser binary format)

> [5] Where can I learn about mbas and how it works?

Get the sources (C#): http://www.mono-project.com/SVN

It is in the mbas folder inside the mcs module.

Have Fun,

> Thanks,
> 
> Landon
> 
> PS - My application will be released under the GPL and developers will
> have access to the source code, so I would prefer Visual Basic as the
> language.
> 
> 
> 
> On 3/2/06, A Rafael D Teixeira <rafael.teixeirabr at terra.com.br> wrote:
> > Hi Scott,
> >
> > Inline,
> >
> > On Wed, 2006-03-01 at 17:26 -0800, Redefined Horizons wrote:
> > > I'm currently in the planning stages for an application written in
> > > Visual Basic .NET. This application will be used primarily on the
> > > Windows operating system, at least initially, but I want to support
> > > use of the application on Linux.
> >
> > What do you really intend/need: Simple use of a VB.NET Application
> > (runtime support) or recompiling on Mono (like it is needed in ASP.NET)?
> > Our runtime support for 1.x is good enough for many applications. In the
> > other hand our compiler (mbas) still needs love.
> >
> > > I am developing the application for Windows in SharpDevelop. I have a
> > > Debian Linux system set-up, and I will be using it to do some of the
> > > development and testing of the application on Mono. (I'm still a
> > > relative nebie to Linux.) My goal is a single cross-platform
> > > application.
> >
> > Just take care of some small things that your app has to do be a good
> > citizen in the platforms you intend to support, like, for example,
> > differences on case-sensitiveness of filenames/paths: most OSes,
> > including Linux, ARE case-sensitive, but Windows isn't. So being
> > consistent when naming assemblies and application-created files pays
> > off, also preserving precisely paths the user browsed for, and so on...
> > All this is, in reality, independent of the chosen Mono/.NET language,
> >
> > > I had contacted the MonoGIS mailing list about my application, and
> > > they mentioned C# might be a better programming language than .NET.
> > > This wouldn't be a problem normally, except that my application is
> > > geared towards developers that are already familiar with Visual Basic
> > > .NET and are coming from a legacy Visual Basic background. I was
> > > hoping to capture a large developer audience for my application and I
> > > fear I will loose many of them if I use C# instead of Visual Basic
> > > .NET.
> >
> > Well I can't figure it right: will the developers have to work with your
> > code (like an open source project)? or you just want to help them
> > develop using mbas on Linux?
> >
> > In the second case nothing bars you from writing your app/libraries in
> > C# and exposing them to be consumed in VB.NET/MonoBASIC, or Boo, or
> > Nemerle, or IronPython, etc...
> >
> > > What type of support will I find for Visual Basic .NET in Mono? What
> > > type of future will the language have on the Mono platform?
> >
> > There is two parts to it.
> >
> > We have full runtime support for VB.NET 1.1 assemblies
> > (Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll is implemented on Mono). You may still find
> > some bug, and if you report it on our bugzilla, we will fix it ASAP
> > (that means some days normally).
> >
> > We have a slowly developing MonoBASIC compiler: mbas (my feeble
> > leadership of this subproject is to blame, I presume). MonoBASIC is
> > intended as a superset of VB.NET, but currently it is a just subset and
> > some compiler bugs are really of a show-stopping nature.
> >
> > Help to improve it or to restart it using gmcs (Mono full C# 2.0
> > compiler) as a refreshed base, are welcome.
> >
> > > If I do decide Visual Basic .NET is a viable language for development
> > > on Mono, how can I help make sure it remains a viable language?
> >
> > Help the team keep it working by reporting the bugs and regressions.
> > Contributing tests to detect the reported bugs is an excellent way not
> > to be annoyed by them again.
> >
> > Also contributing code to help the evolution of the runtime libraries
> > and the compiler is surely a good thing.
> >
> > > I can probably contribute to documentation efforts,
> >
> > Nice thing to do also.
> >
> > > and wouldn't mind
> > > learning about the Visual Basic compiler for Mono.
> >
> > I think mbas is a bit more difficult to understand and correct (compared
> > to mcs our C# compiler), because VB.NET isn't a nice language for the
> > compiler, with so many ambiguities designed into the grammar (some
> > things really go back to the interpreted GW-Basic I used in the first
> > PCs, and yes I'm that old).
> >
> > > I have some
> > > experience with other high and low level languages, so I'm sure I
> > > could pick it up with time.
> >
> > If you are fine with coding in C# and dealing with jay (yacc-like)
> > grammars, you can surely help us.
> >
> > > Thanks very much for the advice.
> > >
> > > Scott Huey
> > >
> > > P.S. - The first public release of the application won't be for at
> > > least 6 to 12 months, so I have some time for support of Visual Basic
> > > .NET in Mono to improve.
> >
> > I'm sure mbas can be MUCH improved in that period of time, we just need
> > some steady contributors, and, I guess, a better leader for the project.
> >
> > --
> > Rafael "Monoman" Teixeira
> > Mono Hacker since 16 Jul 2001 - http://www.mono-project.com/
> > Mono Brasil Founding Member - http://monobrasil.softwarelivre.org/
> > Simios Proud Member - http://www.simios.org/
> > English Blog: http://thespoke.net/blogs/monoman/default.aspx
> > Brazilian Portuguese Blog: http://www.simios.org/blog/monoman
> >
> >
> 
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