Please I need an advice on programming language issue, I only know how to develop an application especially desktop applications using visual basic 8, 10 and 12 which is the latest one now.

But some said without knowing C++ you are not a good programmer yet. Pls how true it is? because visual basic is so easy to debug and user friendly too. Anyway...I don't no much on C++

Absolutely! Because programming is not at all about languages, rather the skill -- more like data structures. Nevertheless, I'm yet to come across a "good" programmer who ONLY knows Visual Basic. But that doesn't mean you cannot be an exception. In spite of everything, you know what they say about Visual Basic and *brain corruption*? I guess I'mma write an article on that... someday ;-)

mkwayisi: Absolutely! Because programming is not at all about languages, rather the skill -- more like data structures. Nevertheless, I'm yet to come across a "good" programmer who ONLY knows Visual Basic. But that doesn't mean you cannot be an exception. In spite of everything, you know what they say about Visual Basic and *brain corruption*? I guess I'mma write an article on that... someday ;-)

meaning?

From my experience C++ and visual basic are almost the same except for some simple syntax differences. So am comfortable debugging C++ and C# without much problems.

Vb and vb.net are good language 4 programming, provided ur front end and backend work fine.

Vb and vb.net are good language 4 application. Provided ur front end and back end work fine.

Maybe what the person is trying to establish is that you improve your programming skill if you can program in another language. I observed that my PHP programming skill improved extra ordinarily when I learn to program in Java, simply because Java forced me to learn OOP, think object wise and stick to Object way of coding, although I am yet to develop a commercial application in Java but it really helped me a lot in PHP which happens to be my most used language.

wild guy: From my experience C++ and visual basic are almost the same except for some simple syntax differences. So am comfortable debugging C++ and C# without much problems.

Thanks dear...

Rather be very good in one thing than be a Jack of all trades (where you are not so good in all). With that said in any walk of life there is always an exception, You can be great in Visual Basic but it wouldn't hurt to be decent in other languages too, i.e: C++ , Java , C# or even scripting languages in my opinion like Ruby , PHP , Lua.....

sizzler: Rather be very good in one thing than be a Jack of all trades (where you are not so good in all).

I love this quote, thanks so much.

I rather stick with my VB.net cos am becoming an expert in it. I have develop alot of good applications like

* folder and application passwording
* school result checking application
* examination software, using computer to write exams
* medical records
* birth registration software
* banking system application
* download manager
* browser
* calculator
* mathematics application
* key lodger
* restaurant POS
* student information recorder
* school management system

@Joe50: Can you make the code publicly available? I'm particularly interested in the browser and calculator applications.

of course...

you can call yourself a "GOOD" programmer if MICROSOFT is the only system or Operating System out there...

Joe50: of course...

Please end me the source codes of some of your applications so that I can build on them and get more acquainted with it also.. d.mcdad@yahoo.com

Good Programmer : the word itself is a big one.

There are people updating themselves on a day basis with the growing new technologies which is having a different programming skills.

Knowing only Visual Basic is not sufficient for you. You can go for more programming language to increase your skills.

Can't get you right guy. Pls come again. Do you mean VB or VB.NET? With your mentioning of VB8, 10 & 12, i want to believe you mean to say VB.NET. If so, you can be a good programmer 'with only VB.NET' (quote me right). With it last edition vb6, microsoft put an end to that language. Since 2002 till date, VB.NET was introduced NOT as successor to vb6, but as a complet new language. Both in concept, capabilities, synthax, logic and presentation, VB.NET is not a resemblance of vb6 in anything. VB.NET is a full OOP & is capable of handly anything that OOP language can do but limited to Windows. You're not coding game, are you? Though platforms(OS) varies and may limits you, that would not make you a poor programmer simply because you're an expert in windows based language(s) and not in Linus or Mac. A very good java programmer can not be called a good programmer simply because he's not good in .NET languages neither.
Am programming in VB.NET now but fairly good in C++ being my 2nd after Qbasic (lol.. But sincerely, i learned something from that language) and i grasp a little of C#.net as well.
So if you are good VB.NET, then go on. If you want learned other language, that'll be an advantage.
If you don't over rely on microsoft enticing visual studio IDE and say NO to those wizards, then you'll only need to learn syntax of any other language. Ok am back to work

I believe that a programmer should be skilled in different programming paradigms i.e should know at least one procedural, one object-oriented and one functional language

Joe50: of course...

Please I really need that school management system.. I will try to code it in python.

Joe50: of course...

5 days gone and still no link to source. I give up... it ain't coming

Joe50:

I love this quote, thanks so much.

I rather stick with my VB.net cos am becoming an expert in it. I have develop alot of good applications like

* folder and application passwording
* school result checking application
* examination software, using computer to write exams
* medical records
* birth registration software
* banking system application
* download manager
* browser
* calculator
* mathematics application
* key lodger
* restaurant POS
* student information recorder
* school management system

are they custom applications? For personal use? Or Open source? Will really love to try any of them.

You can definitely be an exceptional programmer if you stick with vb or .net but you will be limiting yourself. I started out with vb.net but left it since 2010 for python, along the way I picked up java, c++ and javascript (server-side javascript/nodejs). However, last week I was invited for a job interview/coding test for a role which required quite a bit of vb.net even though my cv clearly stressed on my python skills. So what am saying is unless you are ok on your own it wouldn't hurt to have another language on your cv. There are over 15 languages which are based on C/C++ including java, php, C#!

Yes, you are successful programmer to develop desktop applications. Visual basic is well known programming language which you can used to develop desktop application.Nowadays the value of programmers are very much increasing day to day so this field is best for you.

What about guys that builds web applications. How do you classify them.

c# is similar to vb. So why not take that simple step to learn c# and even possibly c++. Nice to know you bro!

It doesn't matter the kind of Language you speak, but how Best you are god @ it! But that shouldn't limit one to knowing bit about more languages! ;-)

This here is a trivia question. You sound like you have concluded that you are a good programmer even before you wrote this post. But allow me clear some things out. To start with you definition of good programmer is unclear to me, so it depends on what good programmer means in your context. Quick question, where does "good programmer" fall...Does it mean you an advanced programmer intermediate or learner ?

I'm going to go ahead and assume that you meant Advanced programmer, but by restricting your self to vb.net I'm obliged to call you an Advanced Windows programmer as mentioned by above.

More so I'm going to go ahead and call you an Advanced Windows Programmer. So I'm your client, we use windows operating system on our computers. Now the job we have for you is that we want you to develop a patch that we can install on all the computers such that:
1. Our Login Screen will look different based on our specifications.
2. We want all the windows to be different, they should look more sleek like OSX and we want the minimize, maximize and close buttons to be visible only when the mouse scrolls over them.
3. We want you to create a terminal for us that work more like the unix terminal.

Now, bearing in mind that all this are possible and are out there, how do you achieve it with your dearly loved Vb.NET ? If you don't have a firm understanding of win32 programming, MFC or COM your are not there yet. Vb.Net abstracts all that plumbing away from you and exposes only a few of em features to you.

After all said, you can't be an "Advanced Windows Programmer" with Vb.NET, you MUST add C/C++ to skill set because it takes a lot closer to the hardware and gives you a better understanding of how programs you write in other languages work. The entire windows operating system was written in C++ on top of C. Lets Not even go that far, the shell(UI) of the Visual Studio you made mention from 2010 was rewritten in C# using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Why didn't the guru's at Microsoft use Vb.Net ? ever though why ?

In my opinion this is what it takes to stand tall among the rest as a programmer:
1. You need to have a knowledge of C/C++, at least enough to create a library in C++ and consume its services from your Vb.Net code.
2. You need a scripting language, Python/ruby/Lua.....
2. Then you regular programming languages such as VB, C# Java, rust and the lots.

Now, one question for you. who will you give the job ?
A. Proficient in Only VB.
B. Proficient in VB, Java, C#, Python, C/C++ and even assembly.

And for those of you going on talking "JACK OF ALL TRADE MASTER OF NONE":
If one man can speak English, French, Arabic, Yoruba, Hausa and Ibo. Does that mean he is a jack of all trade and master of nothing? NO, the dude mastered 5 languages while and you only mastered two (English and your local dialect) and you speak them for specific tasks. For example, say you'll probably more likely to speak local dialect when you want buy something cheap from a market woman who speaks your language and English when you want to impress you boss at work. Computer programming language are applied in the same way. Different language for different tasks, try doing some Digital Signal processing (DSP) or Digital Image Analysis from the bear minimum with VB (Without any Library most likely written in C++).

I commend you on all the projects you have worked on, but its not always about getting the job done for release products. So don't be surprises if someone out there takes half the time you took to write the codes for each projects, half the codes you wrote for each project with about 50% optimization on performance/memory(with little or no assistance or google) "That kind of person my friends is an Advanced programmer". And NO I don't claim to be some sort of authority (Good Programmer) in this kind of stuffs it's purely opinionated.

Forgive me if I've been judgmental or condescending in any form, it's the only way I could pass the message. I hope this post helps clear some things out of the way.

It's definitely better to widen your skill set to include more valuable languages.

kudaisi, fantastic post. Thanks for being helpful and very realistic.