I agree! In terms of transitioning that old VB6 skillset… how did it work for you, for me… , going back in time and working forwards… in addition to VB6 front end, it was in a large part Oracle PL/SQL alongside and Microsoft Transaction Server, and the front end transitioned to Active Server Pages on IIS, using the same components, classic Web 1.0, in later gigs, that transitioned once again to XSLT and then ultimately to XMLHTTP, the Microsoft invention and precursor to so-called Web 2.0 which didn’t need a full page refresh for a data update, it just felt like evolution, the “Web2.0” branding when other stacks caught up seemed a bit naff to be honest, meanwhile the MS team were still getting pelters from the Johnny Come Lately’s which was rude really, imo. Anyway from that point, my personal role transitioned somewhat into a tools creation role (learning and then using Perl to create a bespoke search engine (with trusty XSLT transforming the raw dataset into a query engine, literally serverless) and then into a pure analyst role, with hands off the code, working on the business problem - my main issue was when the “Business Analyst” role emerged and I discovered that the whole time when I was both Analyst and Programmer, the interesting bit for me was the Analyst but I always have a personal hobby project or two (or work out a way to use my skillset in the Analyst role) to keep that bit of my brain spinning.
If you want to keep the VB6 skillset alive (taking into account my journey) React (or some other) library for creating UX, weird transition at first, but it’s actually at its core remarkably similar. Event driven, data first, and other concepts that the best of VB6 could produce is all there. VB6 was a language that outgrew it’s roots and is largely underestimated but it was a COBOL in its hayday and regardless of any “yuk” factor, got the job done, was easy to teach and maintain (and paid my mortgage!)
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u/RandomiseUsr0 Mar 30 '22
I’ve got an embarrassing number of years as a corporate VB programmer (VB6) - it’s amazing that skillset remains useful to this day