 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
VB Forum / General / November 2007Compiled support beyond April 2008
My apologies if this has already been asked/answered but a search didn't turn up anything specifically to what I have been asked. I understand that he VB6 IDE will no longer be supported beyond April of 2008. The runtime will be supported with the version of Windows that it was included with for as that version of Windows is supported. My question is this. If I need to recompile one of my VB6 modules after the IDE is no longer supported, will I still have support for any issues encountered in calls to the runtime. It seems like a silly question to me, with the obvious answer being that the IDE and compiler are out of the mix at runtime, only the runtime is in play, so the support statement that is applicable is the runtime support statement. But, as much as I have tried to explain that, there are different opinions. Does anyone know the "official" statement on this specific question? Thanks.  SignatureTom Porterfield > My apologies if this has already been asked/answered but a search didn't > turn up anything specifically to what I have been asked. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > mix at runtime, only the runtime is in play, so the support statement that > is applicable is the runtime support statement. There's really no support for VB6 now other than what we, the people, provide in newsgroups, web sites, etc. Mainstream support for VB6 from Microsoft ended March 31, 2005. Extended support ends April 8, 2008. Microsoft publishes this information. Go to http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex (or you might want to go to http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx?RDPATH=gp;en-us;lifecycle instead). As far as runtime support for apps created with VB6, they'll be supported (as much as they are now anyway) at least for the life of Vista. Basically, after April 8, 2008, nothing will be ANY different than it's been since 03/31/2005. As of mainstream support ending in 2005, if you encounter a problem with a VB6 app, you're not going to get much help, if any, from Microsoft with fixing the issue because they're no longer supporting VB6. SignatureMike Microsoft MVP Visual Basic >> My apologies if this has already been asked/answered but a search didn't >> turn up anything specifically to what I have been asked. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx?RDPATH=gp;en-us;lifecycle > instead). Yes, I have read all of the support statements from MS regarding the VB6 IDE and the runtime. None of them answer my specific question. > As far as runtime support for apps created with VB6, they'll be supported > (as much as they are now anyway) at least for the life of Vista. Basically, > after April 8, 2008, nothing will be ANY different than it's been since > 03/31/2005. As of mainstream support ending in 2005, if you encounter a > problem with a VB6 app, you're not going to get much help, if any, from > Microsoft with fixing the issue because they're no longer supporting VB6. As we are a large enterprise customer for MS, we do have extended support. Thanks for the info but it doesn't answer my specific question. Or maybe it does. As I said, my assumption is that since the runtime is supported, even if I recompile my app after the IDE is no longer supported, runtime support is still available. The concern from some of my peers is that even if we can document that an error is coming from the runtime MS would say that since the app was compiled after support ended for the compiler that they cannot help with any issues, even though the OS with the runtime is still fully supported. Can you confirm or clarify that? Thanks. SignatureTom Porterfield >>> My apologies if this has already been asked/answered but a search >>> didn't turn up anything specifically to what I have been asked. [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > even though the OS with the runtime is still fully supported. Can you > confirm or clarify that? Only MS can confirm or clarify that and good luck in finding someone there who would commit or even comment. I'd say if it isn't explicitly said it's in the support you have bought and paid for, you can pretty much count on it not being there unless you can talk MS into an incident-specific response which would be, I'm confident, a for-fee support incident. -- > >> My apologies if this has already been asked/answered but a search didn't > >> turn up anything specifically to what I have been asked. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Microsoft publishes this information. Go to > > http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex (or you might want to go to http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx?RDPATH=gp;en-us;lifecycle > > instead). > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Thanks. I have worked (employee, contractor, and consultant) for a "large enterprise [MS] customer". I feel you are looking for a legal definition of what issues MS can be enforced to support and by inference those issues which MS may not support. IMHO - give it up. If you have significant investments in MS products then protect yourself by creating your own support staff, build the best rapport with MS or MS Consulting groups you can. For unless you are a lawyer (and delight in such hypotheticals) or upper management (and need a platitude), you are wasting your time on such trivialities. MS will define "support" to be whatever MS decides it means. MS will support whatever MS decides to support. Period. Therefore your only option, as a developer, is to maintain the best non-advisory relationship you can. Should a problem come up use your resources to come up with a repair, patch, workaround, or even complete replacement,. that you need do to get back in the game. Let Purchasing and Lawyers do any fighting. As far as VB is concerned - it is a Platform, a RAD tool product. It is not a compiler, nor a language, nor a Runtime. It is all of those. 100% owned and operated by MS. They can do any dam* thing they feel like. Again, it is only my own opinion, but frankly if you intend to depend solely on MS's support - you have to drop VB or gear up to support it yourself. They have made it quite clear they have abandoned the product. You have to work to protect your own investment - MS has no interest in YOUR problems. <g> -ralph Thanks everyone for your responses and opinions. I now have clarification directly from Microsoft on the issue and consider the matter closed. SignatureTom Porterfield > Thanks everyone for your responses and opinions. I now have > clarification directly from Microsoft on the issue and consider the > matter closed. And? Would be interesting to hear at least the gist of the response... -- > Thanks everyone for your responses and opinions. I now > have clarification directly from Microsoft on the issue and > consider the matter closed. Is it a secret? You haven't posted Microsoft's "clarification". Have they stung you with a non disclosure agreement? And have you got this "clarification" in writing? Mike >> Thanks everyone for your responses and opinions. I now >> have clarification directly from Microsoft on the issue and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > they stung you with a non disclosure agreement? And have you got this > "clarification" in writing? I do have it in writing but it is in private e-mail and I don't have permission to share the specifics. Generally I think I can say that my specific question landed in the category of runtime support rather than development support and as such falls under Microsoft's stated policy around support for the VB6 runtime. Additional info on support for the VB6 runtime can be found at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vbrun/ms788708.aspx. SignatureTom Porterfield > >> Thanks everyone for your responses and opinions. I now > >> have clarification directly from Microsoft on the issue and [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > runtime. Additional info on support for the VB6 runtime can be found at > http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vbrun/ms788708.aspx. My question would be: do you ever expect to need to use it? VB6 has been around a loooong time, and I would thank that if you were going to run into any bugs, you already would have, so future support isn't going to be needed. That's been our attitude for at least 5 years, and it hasn't bit us yet. SignatureRemove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the newsgroups if possible). > My question would be: do you ever expect to need to use it? VB6 has > been around a loooong time, and I would thank that if you were going to > run into any bugs, you already would have, so future support isn't going > to be needed. That's been our attitude for at least 5 years, and it > hasn't bit us yet. We haven't needed it either, but there is concern that a future service pack or other update might break something in the runtime. We have a project underway to get rid of all of the VB6 code in the application, but it is a very large application and the work will not be complete before the IDE is no longer supported. We wanted to make sure we could continue to make minor enhancements to the existing code base while the new application is being written and still be supported from a runtime standpoint against breaks from possible future updates to the OS from Microsoft. We have had security patches cause problems in the past, though I don't think specifically with the VB runtime, so this additional assurance allows us a little leeway in how we prioritize the work that we are doing. SignatureTom Porterfield |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.