Windows 11 is here. The IDE was never officially supported on Windows 10 although I, like may others, have been using it there for half a decade. So, what about Windows 11? I have done an initial test using the rules outlined in my Running the IDE on Windows 10 post. The install went OK, the IDE runs and seems to work. Until I have done an amount of work, I cannot say more but it is encouraging.
Microsoft updated it’s VB6 runtime support statement on November 5th to include Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022. It looks like we are good to keep VB6 applications running for a while longer.
I will be keeping this updated as I do more work.
– Nick
Thank you so much for your work on this. I have many legacy apps I maintain with NO budget to convert. And besides VB6 works, it’s fun, and its fast development.
Much appreciated.
Thanks George. Good to know there is someone out there.
To say conversions don’t go well is an understatement. Redevelopment is really the only viable path for the legacy stuff. I personally believe that is the reason Microsoft keeps these applications running. Not only does Microsoft have a large base of these applications in their customer base but, I believe, they have a large base of VB6 applications internally as well.
The major criticism of VB6 is that it results in poorly written applications but while that is possible it is also possible to develop well constructed applications. VB6’s only sin is that it does not FORCE you to write good code — It does not prevent it.
-Nick
Waiting for the workshop to change my winter tires costs me more time and nerves than changing them myself. Nobody has to do it this way, but I do it anyway.
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For a quick and pragmatic solution, VB6 – for me – is usually faster to develop in than to search for a tool that meets my needs. Apart from that, I have control over everything. The bugs, the data corruption, the updates with additional features (I would have to wait a long time if I had bought a tool). My largest project combines several client-server applications with a total of more than 136,000 lines of code.
…which one day in the past, was a quick and dirty solution.
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A few years ago, VB was *the most widely used* platform worldwide. I have never understood why MS could be so stupid as to discontinue support for VB – I really have no clue. But just compare the Windows Explorer from XP with the Explorer from Win10/11! Same thing: I have no idea how you can ruin a well-designed application in such a catastrophic way!
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At the end of 2025, I read the website of an Argentine group that is working on an open-source and new successor version of VB 6.0. But unfortunately, I lost the URL 🙁 They even announced that they would implement ‘left shift’, ‘right shift’ and some other binary operations common in C! I’m really looking forward to finding their site again and really hope that the project is making good progress!
Good news. I have heard of twinBasic (not open source?) and B4J but have not played with either. Nothing from Argentina. Post the URL here if you find it!
Danke.
-Nick