Before Visual Basic 1.0 was introduced to the world
in 1991, developers had to be well versed in C++ programming, as well as
the rudimentary building blocks (Windows API) of the Windows system
itself. This complexity meant that only the dedicated and properly
trained were capable of turning out software that could run on Windows.
Visual Basic changed all of that, and it has been estimated that there
are now as many lines of production code written in Visual Basic as in
any other language.
Visual Basic changed
the face of Windows programming by removing the complex burden of
writing code for the user interface (UI). By allowing programmers to
draw their own UI, it freed them to concentrate on the business problems
they were trying to solve. Once the UI is drawn, the programmer can
then add code to react to events.
Visual Basic has also
been extensible from the very beginning. Third-party vendors quickly
saw the market for reusable modules to aid developers. These modules, or
controls, were original referred to as VBXs (named after their file
extension). If you didn't like the way a button behaved you could either
buy or create your own. However, these controls had to be written in C
or C++. Database access utilities were some of the first controls
available.
When Microsoft
introduced Visual Basic 3.0, the programming world changed again. Now
you could build database applications directly accessible to users (so
called front-end applications) completely with Visual Basic. There was
no need to rely on third-party controls. Microsoft accomplished this
task with the introduction of the Data Access Objects (DAO), which
allowed programmers to manipulate data with the same ease as
manipulating the user interface.
Versions 4.0 and 5.0
extended the capabilities of version 3.0 in order to allow developers to
target the new Windows 95 platform. Crucially they also made it easier
for developers to write code, which could then be manipulated in order
to be used by other language developers. Version 6.0 gave us a new way
to access databases with the integration of ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).
ADO was developed by Microsoft to aid web developers using Active Server
Pages to access databases. With all of the improvements to Visual Basic
over the years, it ensured its dominant place in the programming world.
It helps developers write robust and maintainable applications in
record time.
Source : f1tutorials.com
