Don't be such an intellectual snob. Everyone who programs had to start somewhere, and it is normally in a language like vb. You could just as easily claim that c# is 'lowering the bar' as well. What a load of rubbish. Programming isn't rocket science. Its the same as anything else - only difficult until you know about it! It's not the language used that turns an application into a 'hideous beast' anyway, rather the skill (or lack of it) of the people who designed it in the first place. Agreed though that vb is not really a good option for large scale commercial development, but it does have it's place. I can tell you are probably the sort of programmer I dread having to work with: one that thinks added complexity makes something better! ARRRGGHH!!

Just about everything to do with software design is a matter of opinion. Never feel that your's is worth less than other people's just because you didn't go to college. I never studied formally either. Everything I know about software design has been self taught or learned on the job. I've worked with lots of other developers since i started in this profession, and I find that it's real experience that counts here, not paper qualifications!

get a life - its just a joke (altho i agree that 'word for rappers' may have been a wiser choice of title) ive seen 'word for glaswegians' and 'word for geordies' before too, and they're at least as offensive as that.