macOS porting VB apps to MacOS? (Project Dogwaffle)

[staigerman]

Heya, we looked into this a while back and then it seemed not so trivial, but perhaps things have improved with the Intel Macs, Bootcamp etc...

I'm wondering if there are some no-brainer resources and someone with experience in porting VB applications to MacOS?

For example, there is MS Office:Mac, right? Isn't that something that was ported from Windows to Mac and isn't Office a VB application?

In our case, we're lookingat PD Particles, a lightweight subset of Project Dogwaffle Pro:

http://www.thebest3d.com/pdp

Dogwaffle (and Particles) runs as an active X server. The SDK is VB based but some have used PowerBasic, Delphi and yet others dev systems to write plugins or make their pre-existing standalone apps connect to our server and exchange image buffer info, dimensions, rgb and alpha etc...

I was wondering if anyone here has solid knowledge of how to take a VB application to the Mac?

-Philip

 

[kainjow]

VB doesn't exist for Mac OS X. REALbasic is the closest you will get (especially if you are wanting to sell your app and have it look like a Mac app). But even RB is terrible compared to VB/VS, so either way it may not be that easy (especially if you're using Active-X - good luck on rewriting that for OS X). If you want to stay portable, C++ is the way to go. There isn't much besides it if you want to have a native application.

Good luck.

 

[staigerman]

VB doesn't exist for Mac OS X. REALbasic is the closest you will get (especially if you are wanting to sell your app and have it look like a Mac app). But even RB is terrible compared to VB/VS, so either way it may not be that easy (especially if you're using Active-X - good luck on rewriting that for OS X). If you want to stay portable, C++ is the way to go. There isn't much besides it if you want to have a native application.

Good luck.

Yeah that was it, RealBasic, a few years ago when we looked into it, that was close to a working solution, as they could develop on Mac and spit executable for PC, and perhaps the other way round too now, dunno fer sure, anyway, we had trouble with one particar datatype we were using from VB that apparently might not have an easy match on RB's side. Was a real bummer because other than that we had found some tools for automatic conversion coming from RB.

Perhaps things have progressed. I'm hoping to get good feedback from someone who's been in fact doing ports from VB to RB or other to the Mac.

 

[robbieduncan]

Note Office is not written in VB (as if). Office uses VB as it's scripting language but it's written in C/C++.

 

[kainjow]

Perhaps things have progressed. I'm hoping to get good feedback from someone who's been in fact doing ports from VB to RB or other to the Mac.

I'd suggest posting on REALbasic's forums to get some more feedback as there will be many more people there who can give you more details than on MR's forums.

 

[DaveGee]

Note Office is not written in VB (as if). Office uses VB as it's scripting language but it's written in C/C++.

Yep...

VB is somewhat similar to AppleScript...

I say somewhat similar because AppleScript has been developed over many years with conscious though going into each addition to the AppleScript environment / language. VB got the same treatment minus the 'conscious thought' part.

To be fair ... VB has TONS more functionally in it due to the fact that 'everything AND the kitchen sink' has been added to it over the years.

Edit:

Thinking about this VB has one other MAJOR benefit on it's side... A company that knows how to FORCE a technology to be successful. Microsoft has/had pushed 'VB Everywhere'. I don't think you could churn out an App at Microsoft without in someway 'extending and embracing' VB to the best of your development teams ability.

Apple on the other-hand... Don't even get me started, AppleScript could have very well died a few times over the years had it not been for the tremendous EXTERNAL support (aka non-Apple employees) pushing for it to continue and succeed. Oh and as for Apple Corporate PUSHING AppleScript Everywhere????? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA F-A-R F-A-R from it... AppleScript fans have to beg (and I'm not kidding) for APPLE WRITTEN software to even in the smallest way support AppleScript.

Sorry I give FULL (and extra) CREDIT to Microsoft when it comes to pushing a technology to success and Apple? They get the DUNCE CAP!

D

 

[BornAgainMac]

Apple killed Hypercard too. Microsoft isn't going to push VBA on Office for the Mac anymore. It will be Applescript scriptable with no VBA scripting.

 

[DaveGee]

Apple killed Hypercard too. Microsoft isn't going to push VBA on Office for the Mac anymore. It will be Applescript scriptable with no VBA scripting.

Heh... If someone saw Hypercard today they'd say... "See Apple stole the idea of the web too!".... Yet another 'technology before it's time" from the smart folks at Apple.

Hypercard aka WWW v0.1?

It's a good bet the developers initially involved with the creation of the www probably got some of their inspiration from Hypercard. Tim Berners-Lee (the granddad of the www) wrote the first ever www proof of concept 'web browser' (and http server?) on a NeXT box for goodness sake. It's a pretty safe bet he'd seen Hypercard once or twice before.

Once again Apple snatches defeat out from the jaws of victory.

Dave

 

[BornAgainMac]

It's a good bet the developers initially involved with the creation of the www probably got some of their inspiration from Hypercard. Tim Berners-Lee (the granddad of the www) wrote the first ever www proof of concept 'web browser' (and http server?) on a NeXT box for goodness sake. It's a pretty safe bet he'd seen Hypercard once or twice before.

I read about the NeXT connection and was blow away. And before I had even used a Mac, I knew about Hypercard and when I saw Mosaic running under Solaris I immediately thought of Hypercard. I bought Hypercard just before it was pulled from Apple's online store a few years ago as a collectable.

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