Making The Move
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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Why did you move back? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
I would say don't move from VC 6 unless you have no choice. "No choice" would be using a template library that just won't work on 6, or using some 3rd party libs that were build for 7, something along those lines. What to expect: 7 claims to convert your VC 6 project files, but every time I've tried it, it's done a terrible job. Sure, it preserves the list of files, but settings as basic as "what kind of CRT to use" don't get converted right. :mad: When I did this at work, it also threw up all kinds of incomprehensible dialogs related to VSS. Finally I said F it and rebuilt the projects manually. --Mike-- Personal stuff:: Ericahist | Homepage Shareware stuff:: 1ClickPicGrabber | RightClick-Encrypt CP stuff:: CP SearchBar v2.0.2 | C++ Forum FAQ ---- You cannot stop me with paramecium alone!
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
I have both on my systems (make that 3 - I also have VC 1.52 for DOS), and the only annoyances I have run into deal with File I/O and the some time functions that return time_t values - VS .NET supports 64 bit file sizes and the time functions return 64 bit time values. I handle them with: #if _MSC_VER >= 1300 #define time_t __time64_t #endif // _MSC_VER >= 1300 and use ULONG64 for the file size/position data Steve
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Why did you move back? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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See, so do I... all of my progs. are in c++... I want to dabble in .net stuff just to learn it.. but I never will program by choice in it. On the other hand I do not want to loose functionality with c++. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
Just imagine yourself standing on the edge of an abyss and all of us, at a safe distance behind, chanting JUMP! JUMP! JUMP! (Actually I can't go back to VS6 now that I've been using VS.NET for so long. 2003 is much better than 2002, so go that route if possible. Truly, it's a great IDE but obviously some like it less than others) cheers, Chris Maunder
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Just imagine yourself standing on the edge of an abyss and all of us, at a safe distance behind, chanting JUMP! JUMP! JUMP! (Actually I can't go back to VS6 now that I've been using VS.NET for so long. 2003 is much better than 2002, so go that route if possible. Truly, it's a great IDE but obviously some like it less than others) cheers, Chris Maunder
I do sort of want to make the jump… I just do not want to loose functionality in my already huge projects. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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See, so do I... all of my progs. are in c++... I want to dabble in .net stuff just to learn it.. but I never will program by choice in it. On the other hand I do not want to loose functionality with c++. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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Why did you move back? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
Here we go again ... :rolleyes:
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Sounds like we are on the same page. I may just install it side by side or on another machine. Thank you for all of your advice. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
I think I may install it side by side (a sloooow transition).. does anyone know if they cooperate together or not? Thanks. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
Matthew R. Miller Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? Yes. Better Intellisense, better (though perhaps a tad slower) compiler, somewhat foppish IDE. Do a few small projects in VS.NET before you try to convert big ones.
You**'re one microscopic cog** in his catastrophic plan... -
I think I may install it side by side (a sloooow transition).. does anyone know if they cooperate together or not? Thanks. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
Matthew R. Miller wrote: So let me have it… Ok; here it is. Matthew R. Miller wrote: Should I make the move? Yes. Matthew R. Miller wrote: What can I expect? Some things have been moved. Some of your favorite key assignments have changed. You can customize the keyboard to match the VC6 setup. I don't advocate doing it; it's not that hard to learn the new settings (ctrl-shift-B for build, instead of F7, for example). Workspace files (.dsw) are now called solution files (.sln). Project files (.dsp) are now (.vcproj, .vbproj, etc.). The conversion from VC6 to VS.NET form is pretty much one way. There are tools to convert back and forth, but you will lose settings if you revert. Class wizard simply ain't there no more. The new method for adding member variables and event handlers works (most of the time), but it's not as nice as adding all of that sort of thing at once. It has a thoroughly brain-dead need to shift the source code away from the resource editor to the source code every time you do something, which is annoying. The VS.NET 2002 IDE had some bugs, notably in the resource editors. VS.NET 2003 is much better. The VS.NET 2002/2003 compiler(s) are noticeably faster than before (at least in the sort of code I build). The 2003 compiler is especially nice, in that its level of C++ standard compliance is much higher than before. It can now compile most of the popular C++ libraries (STL and boost, for example) without lots of errors and warnings. MFC7 and ATL7 are nice surprises. Matthew R. Miller wrote: How can I better prepare? Backup a significant VC6 project, and then convert it over. Give the new IDE at least a couple of weeks before you think about chucking it. Try using the default settings for IDE features, or at least avoid making it look completely like VC6 if you do customize it. Most people do tend to turn off some of the 'candy' features (like the Task List). Good luck.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Matthew R. Miller wrote: So let me have it… Ok; here it is. Matthew R. Miller wrote: Should I make the move? Yes. Matthew R. Miller wrote: What can I expect? Some things have been moved. Some of your favorite key assignments have changed. You can customize the keyboard to match the VC6 setup. I don't advocate doing it; it's not that hard to learn the new settings (ctrl-shift-B for build, instead of F7, for example). Workspace files (.dsw) are now called solution files (.sln). Project files (.dsp) are now (.vcproj, .vbproj, etc.). The conversion from VC6 to VS.NET form is pretty much one way. There are tools to convert back and forth, but you will lose settings if you revert. Class wizard simply ain't there no more. The new method for adding member variables and event handlers works (most of the time), but it's not as nice as adding all of that sort of thing at once. It has a thoroughly brain-dead need to shift the source code away from the resource editor to the source code every time you do something, which is annoying. The VS.NET 2002 IDE had some bugs, notably in the resource editors. VS.NET 2003 is much better. The VS.NET 2002/2003 compiler(s) are noticeably faster than before (at least in the sort of code I build). The 2003 compiler is especially nice, in that its level of C++ standard compliance is much higher than before. It can now compile most of the popular C++ libraries (STL and boost, for example) without lots of errors and warnings. MFC7 and ATL7 are nice surprises. Matthew R. Miller wrote: How can I better prepare? Backup a significant VC6 project, and then convert it over. Give the new IDE at least a couple of weeks before you think about chucking it. Try using the default settings for IDE features, or at least avoid making it look completely like VC6 if you do customize it. Most people do tend to turn off some of the 'candy' features (like the Task List). Good luck.
Software Zen:
delete this;WOW! Very details and in-depth. Thank you very much for your experiences and for sharing. What do you think about installing them side by side, and making a slow transition.. after trying to cover a (backed-up) VC6 project? Do you have any experience with both being installed side by side? Others say it works, I have no reason not to believe them. Thanks again. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
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I think I may install it side by side (a sloooow transition).. does anyone know if they cooperate together or not? Thanks. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
Pretty much everything is local, and registered servers are backward compatible (like the DTE stuff). I had VC6, VS7, VS7.1, and VS8b1 all installed with no problems. Just make sure you install them in order, which has more to do with the .NET Framework than with VS. It's possible, but mucks up a few registry entries. It's not hard to fix if you have no choice, though. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. Software Design Engineer Developer Division Sustained Engineering Microsoft [My Articles]
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OK I am finally making the switch from Visual Studio 6.0 to Visual Studio .NET :omg: (I know… I have held for as long as I think I can). I have used .NET on other computers, and do not really know what I think of it – I like it and I don’t like it. I have read some articles here about the transformation and what to expect. I am going to make backups of all of my projects, just incase I do not enjoy the move. So let me have it… Should I make the move? What can I expect? How can I better prepare? ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
My 2 cents. What are the products you are supporting and or about to develope? That really is your answer. If you are supporting exiting code. Then step cautiously. If you are starting new projects (especially creating or consuming web services.) Then jump in. If you are starting new projects that a basically in line with the old. Then kind of your call. To cover your self. I have a second drive that I mirror my machine onto when I make a change. If I am unhappy I just mirror it back and no problems! I do not mind getting old. It beats all the other options that can think of.
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WOW! Very details and in-depth. Thank you very much for your experiences and for sharing. What do you think about installing them side by side, and making a slow transition.. after trying to cover a (backed-up) VC6 project? Do you have any experience with both being installed side by side? Others say it works, I have no reason not to believe them. Thanks again. ------------------------- Matthew R. Miller www.computersmarts.net[^]
Actually, I have all three installed side-by-side: VC6, VS.NET 2002, and VS.NET 2003. We have the following under development: Product A, version 1.0: Maintenance using VC6 Product A, version 1.1: Maintenance using VS.NET 2002 Product A, version 2.0: Development (starting with the 1.1 code base) using VS.NET 2003 Product B, version 1.0: Maintenance using VS.NET 2002 Product B, version 1.1: Development using VS.NET 2003 Product C, version 1.0: Development using VS.NET 2003 As you can see, we've migrated the source code for Product A from VC6 all the way through VS.NET 2003. One thing to notice with my list. As a matter of practice, we don't switch compilers when a product enters maintenance. This reduces the regression testing we have to do when we make fixes. The only issue I've had with the side-by-side install is that it is disk hungry. By the time you install VC6, the MSDN Library from October 2001 (the last one that integrates with VC6), VS.NET 2002, VS.NET 2003, and the current MSDN Library, you've eaten up a lot of disk space. Depending on your options, 6Gb or more. You do need to install them in the correct order: VC6, then VS.NET 2002, then VS.NET 2003. One other note: If you develop using VS.NET 2002 or 2003, you'll need to install the appropriate ATL and/or MFC libraries on your target machine, if you use them. Unlike under VC6, where most environments had these libraries 'built-in', that isn't the case here. Matthew R. Miller wrote: WOW! Very details and in-depth. Thank you very much You're welcome :-O. My coworkers would tell you I'm very verbose :rolleyes:.
Software Zen:
delete this;