When Visual Basic version 4 was compared with Borland�s Delphi versions 1 or 2, the conversation tended to go like this:
Delphite: Your pitiful language generates p-code. Our language generates native code. Our programs run circles around yours.
VBer: Native code won�t make your hard disk faster. Our data access application runs just as fast with p-code as yours does with native code. And we developed it faster. We don�t have to compile our program before running it, and edit-and-continue lets us fix bugs in the environment while the program is
running.
Delphite: Nonsense. We have the fastest compiler around, and our debugger is easy to use. Besides, we�re serving customers, not ourselves. The bottom line is program speed. Don�t tell me you don�t have bottleneck sections in your code.
VBer: Well, there are a few places�. But we write C++ DLLs or controls to get around them. Besides, p-code is smaller. Your language creates giant EXE files.
Delphite: Well, at least we can generate stand-alone EXE files. You have to ship megabytes of support DLLs to make even your tiniest program run. And by the way, if we need a DLL, we can write it in Delphi, not C++.
VBer: Well, we can create DLLs too.
Delphite: Yeah, p-code DLLs. Forget it.
VBer: This is all irrelevant. The bottom line is that our language is Basic. It�s the easiest, most popular language in the world. Pascal is dead.
Delphite: Basic? Pascal is a much easier language than Basic.
VBer: Basic!
Delphite: Pascal!
Joe Hacker (breaking in): A pox on both of you. I don�t want to choose between native code and p-code. I want both: p-code for the user interface and data access, native code for bottlenecks. I don�t want a fast compiler. I want an interpreter. I don�t want my language to choose whether I get a little EXE with big DLLs or a big EXE. I want to choose. And I don�t care about language wars. I�ll find a way to make any language do what I want. Just wait for Visual Basic version 5. Then we�ll be able to match languages feature for feature.
Well, Visual Basic version 5 is here. Let�s see how it measures up against Joe Hacker�s wish list.