By providing a tool that should help translating VB6 code to Xojo code, it’s suggested that both languages and approaches are somewhat the same or at least have many similarities. A big step forward has been taken to rebrand our platform just to take away from Microsoft Visual BASIC. I believe it’s now time to definitely quit with this association since Xojo is much much more that VB ever was. The tool Xojo inc. provides on the website doesn’t even help you migrating your code, since it’s much better, faster and instructive to rewrite your code in Xojo line by line. Who doesn’t agree ? Better remove the tool from the download page now ?
I used to work in VB6 back in previous century, became a functional designer and manager and have done projects with coders in different platforms for different purposes. In Xojo I see quite a lot of good practices coming together in one multiplatform RAD environment. It is unfortunate that Xojo in principle is not suitable for Android, that would make it really an all in one solution. But even without Android support, it’s great working with Xojo and the community providing and sharing so much improvements every day.
It’s still relevant because there are still boatloads of people using VB6. We get requests to convert from VB6 to Xojo on a regular basis.
The most read posts, by far, on my blog at www.bkeeneybriefs.com are if and when VB6 apps will break. Windows 8 was a huge concern for VB6 developers but the bullet was dodged - again. Most VB6 developers I talk to believe they are on borrowed time. So for them, knowing that Xojo is a ‘close’ relative is important.
Some history behind the Migration Assistant is in order and it’s current state is, in part, due to me. In its first incarnation it attempted to do code conversion. Of course it failed miserably at most conversion simply because theres no such thing as a good code conversion tool. MS tried it with .NET and it was awful too.
So when a new version was being talked about I lobbied to have it convert the UI as best as possible and simply copy the code and let the user rewrite it in Xojo. Ultimately this is what they did and I believe it’s a better tool because of it. Not for what it does do but for what it doesn’t attempt to do.
So while VB6 is old there are still millions of users that know they may have to convert to something else some day. When that day comes perhaps they’ll look at Xojo, in part, because of Migration Assistant. Think of it as a security blanket. If they can get 25% of the work done by a tool it might be worth it to them even if we all know they’d be better of doing a complete rewrite.
Upon install, Windows 8.1 reports having compatibility issues with VB6. That does not smell good.
there i a LOT of VB6 code out there still. I run across it on a regular basis.
I’m still maintaining two programs that I originally developed in VB6 in 2004. I’m slowly rewriting them now.
Granted, the rebranding “Xojo” was probably intended to depart from the “Basic” image and indeed, Xojo is a language unto itself. But it would be futile to deny the very origins and philosophy of our favorite development tool. Xojo, with all its personality, remains a member of the Basic family. Snobs may look down at Xojo because it originated as RealBasic, proof is in the pudding : there are countless horrid apps written in so called “better” languages, and there are jewels created in Xojo.
Being seen in company of VB is not a shame either : hundred of thousand apps running everyday in companies of all sizes are written in VB. But Microsoft itself has let down VB programmers. Fortunately, Xojo is here. I find that swell.
I came from VB4 and switched for RB at the time because the two languages where close enough to make the transition easy. Transposing VB6 to Xojo is somewhat easier than going from VB6 to Visual Studio 2013/2014.
There are thousands or maybe millions of VB6 users that now (due to difficulties to install vb6 on win8.1) are starting to look around for the new VB7… Xojo is a good option.
I come from VB6 myself and for me it’s easier Xojo than VB.Net… because vb.net is not a “real basic” 
Present yourself as the new promised land for the VB6 users you will gain gazillions of customers and you will maul the competition.
I have got Xojo into three companies already, just because it’s a great way to port legacy VB tools. I’ve left two of those already, but they’ve kept renewing and updating.
Eh? What the issue(s) with running VB6 on Windows 8.1??
Please point out that source that explicit state the number of VB6-developers and the issue(s).
Here is some info about Windows 7 and 8 & VB6
Install VB6 on Windows 7
VB6 and Windows 8
VB6 has been depreciated for years now. Xojo has during that time been developed further and should by now be able to stand on its own feets. Sure, it’s a marketing in the first place but the total overmake of RB to Xojo should also included a drop of being associated with VB6.
I tried running the installer by simple double click on Setup.exe in the CD. It is unsigned, one gets the ugly yellow warning box. Then, Windows 8.1 says that there are compatibilities issues. Then after clicking on continue anyway, the installer tries to install Java, and once again, Win 8.1 reports compatibilities issues. That is when I dropped off.
It definitely does not look pretty 
Thank you for posting helpful links to how to sites. I am going to try that. My thing is Xojo, but I sometimes transpose VB6 snippets, and it can help to be able to see what it does.
I do not think anybody should be ashamed for having used GWBasic, QuickBasic, Visual Basic 6 or RealBasic. Or any other flavor of Basic for that matter. Pretending that Xojo has become a different language altogether and that it is no longer a part of the Basic heritage sounds outrageous.
I have to maintain 3 VB6 programs and have installed them over various systems over the years. I think Windows 8 is the last one I did, I haven’t installed it on 8.1 yet. But I have had a lot more success copying the contents of the VB6 CD into a folder on the C: drive such as C:\VB6CD and then running the Setup.exe from there.
I just installed under Windows 8.1 from the CD using the instructions at http://www.derekwirch.com/2009/06/install-vb6-on-windows-7.html which I found more complete than what appeared for Windows 8 above. To create a zero byte MSJAVA.DLL file I just created a new txt file on the desktop, renamed it and moved it to C:\Windows.
Installation went fine, the installer did not try to install the antique Java, and all seemed to go fine. Then at the very end the installer got stuck. After letting it think for half an hour I killed the installer, and saw that the program had been installed fine anyway. Adjusted it to run as a XP SP3 and VB6 is happy.
That said, it is becoming kind of hackish to install, and it is probably worrysome for corporate use.
If they haven’t worried about depending on a product that hasn’t had an official patch or new version in 13 years, they are probably not too worked up about having to work around the installer.
The new versions are supposed to have been Visual Studio 2010 'til 2014. Now I would be worried by these
Not at all… these platforms have enabled lot’s of companies and developers to build great software and the fact that lot of this legacy is still operational is the evidence that good things are here to stay. But to be honest, not all modern concepts are supported, which drives you into unlikely workarounds. What puzzles me is the reason why I didn’t believe in the whole .NET concept that came out while I was waiting for VB7. Now I understand that I was not the only one not trusting Microsofts’ direction, which has become big because of the huge marketing power, not because of the genius concept.
.NET would have probably been allright if Microsoft had taken time not to botch implementation. There was absolutely no reason for subsequent Visual Studio versions not to keep compatibility with legacy code. Somehow Microsoft thought it could mistreat VB6 users and get away with it. It did not work and users did not adopt .NET the way they should have. They staid with what worked for them. Or switched to RB.
Last year I went into Visual Studio 2013 to code in VB for Windows Store (Metro) apps. What they call Visual Basic has dropped a lot of its basic commands for C-ish gibberish which shows the level of contempt MS has for VB users. The most amazing one is the need to replace the very basic printing methods from VB6 by a convoluted, unclear and outrageously badly documented low level printing strategy obviously hastily put together by careless nerds. It is so bad it puzzles C users just as well as VB. Their forums are full of disarrayed users trying to tell heads and tails from an unearthly system, compounded with the total absence of pertinent documentation. The only available help is a sample program written by an ultra complicated mind who confuses complexity with intelligence.
Instead of having their engineers work at making development tools friendly to users and respectful of their acquired knowledge, MS has effectively created the most unfriendly environment, which probably does not even merit to be called Visual Basic anymore. If MS wanted to kill VB, it would have not proceeded otherwise.
Now how difficult could it be to keep an IDE compatible with previous versions ? If anything, that is what Xojo brilliantly does.
Yep , Michel…the above is quite accurate, and what convinced me to make the switch to something else, in this case Xojo is fitting the bill for my new app just fine so far! The new VB 2013 is almost user-hostile to previous VB6 coders.