VB6

VB6, or Visual Basic 6.0, is a programming language and integrated development environment released by Microsoft in 1998 as part of the Visual Basic family. It was designed for rapid application development of Windows desktop applications, offering a form-based, event-driven programming model and a rich set of controls that could be dragged onto a form to build user interfaces. VB6 code is compiled into executables that rely on the Visual Basic runtime library (MSVBVM60.DLL) at run time.

Key features include an integrated development environment with a forms designer, an extensive set of standard controls, support for event-driven programming, and the ability to create and consume COM components, including ActiveX controls. Data access is supported through technologies such as DAO and ADO, enabling rapid database applications. Applications can be deployed via setup packages that bundle the runtime and libraries.

History and impact: Visual Basic 6.0 was the last major release of the classic VB line and became widely adopted in the 1990s and early 2000s for Windows desktop business software. It offered rapid development, readability, and broad third-party control libraries, contributing to its popularity. Microsoft shifted focus to Visual Basic .NET in the early 2000s, and VB6 reach end of life in 2008, with no new feature development and limited official support.

Legacy and ongoing use: despite its age, VB6 remains in use in some organizations with long-lived applications. Its reliance on the Windows-only COM environment makes migration challenging, and many projects have migrated to VB.NET or other platforms, while some developers maintain environments to support legacy software.