I'm excited to share our new VBUC release which is gonna knock your socks off - especially all you C# folks! We've been busy behind the scenes pushing some serious upgrades that make your C# code slicker and more efficient. Without belaboring too long, let's get to the good stuff: Fancy New C# Tricks 1. Auto Default Structs: Ain't Nobody Got Time for That You know those annoying struct initialization calls in your old VB6 code? Poof! Gone! VBUC 10.1 now auto-magically initializes your structs with default values. Imagine structs just springing to life ready to use - that's what we're talking a ..read more

Picture this: you're still clinging to that old Windows XP computer because, well, it just works. But let's be real – it's slow, vulnerable to every virus known to humankind, and let's not even talk about trying to find a compatible browser. That's the software equivalent of clinging to Visual Basic 6 (VB6). Yes, VB6 was a legend back in the day. But 2008 called – Microsoft officially pulled the plug on support, and it's been a steady decline ever since. Let's explore why it's time to upgrade and how GAP can make your migration a breeze. The Curse of Outdated Tech Security Nightmares: V ..read more

Code migrations, the bane of every developer's existence. Over the past 12 years, I've witnessed countless migrations gone wrong, leaving teams frustrated, deadlines missed, and codebases in distress. In this post, I'll share the pitfalls that led to these failures, so you can avoid them in your own migration nightmares. Mistake 1: Diving in Head First The biggest mistake teams make is rushing into a migration without proper planning. They assume it's just a matter of copy-pasting code from one platform to another. Wrong! Without a clear understanding of the target architecture and how it dif ..read more

Okay folks, if your projects rely on .NET 7, it's time for a wake up call. Microsoft just dropped the news that .NET 7 is reaching its end of support on May 14th, 2024. What does "End of Support" really mean? Here's the thing - once support ends, it's lights out on stuff like: No more security patches: Any sneaky vulnerabilities popping up? Too bad, Microsoft won't be fixing them. Nope, no tech support either: Got a weird bug due to .NET 7? They won't be able to help you out. Compatibility issues will creep in: As tech evolves, sticking with an unsupported framework gets more and more risky ..read more

The European Union isn't messing around when it comes to AI regulation. The AI Act just landed a couple weeks ago and it's laying down the law about how we can develop and use artificial intelligence systems. This isn't just about protecting users (though that's really important); it directly impacts how developers work. Global Repercussions Make no mistake, this isn't just an EU thing. The EU is an economic powerhouse and when it comes to regulations like this, it sets the tone others end up following. Think of the impact of GDPR on data privacy worldwide. Companies with international reach ..read more

The recent scrutiny of TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, due to its Chinese ownership has sparked a wider conversation about the risks of relying on technology from potentially adversarial nations. While TikTok's entertainment focus is miles away from software development, there are interesting parallels to draw with a long-standing tool like PowerBuilder. via GIPHY PowerBuilder, a once-dominant application development platform, has also transitioned to Chinese (Hong Kong) ownership. This change introduces potential considerations for businesses heavily invested in PowerBuilder applicati ..read more

Visual Basic: Unraveling the Versions Visual Basic, a programming language born at Microsoft (side note: I was a VB 1.0 product manager. BEST.JOB.EVER.), has transformed A LOT over the years. My boss, who's younger than me pointed out that most people aren't as familiar with all of the flavors of VB so I figured I'd clarify the distinctions between the versions of Visual Basic, helping you understand what you'll see out there in the wild.  The Origins: Visual Basic (VB) When: Introduced in 1991 Legacy Version: Visual Basic 6.0 (VB6) was the last major release (1998). Key Point ..read more

The ink's barely dry on Broadcom's acquisition of VMware and already the virtualization landscape is shifting pretty dramatically. Price hikes, product cuts, licensing restrictions and uncertainty about the future make VMware less and less appealing. IT leaders are scrambling - and VMware partners are panicking. But there's a better way forward. Broadcom's Playbook - Good for Them, Bad for You Broadcom's business strategy is fairly transparent: acquire, milk for profits and crush innovation. This has been their approach with CA Technologies and Symantec and VMware is looking like it won't be t ..read more

ICYMI - .NET 9 is here, and it's looking pretty sharp (I was going to make C# joke but decided against it). This release brings a bunch of good stuff that's focused on cloud-native development, performance improvements, and some very nice new features. Think of this as your cheat sheet before you download the preview. Let's Dive In Here's a quick breakdown of the cool stuff to watch out for: AI Gets Even Smarter Microsoft is doubling down on making .NET a powerful platform for building intelligent applications. In .NET 9, you can expect: OpenAI and OSS Made Easy: The focus is on streamlining h ..read more

What I’ve learned from 12 years of code migrations This is my twelfth year (!) of working on code migrations. And let me tell you, I've seen things. There's a lot of code out there - in every language imaginable, in every form possible.  The lesson I've learned repeatedly is - a successful migration is a a carefully and thoughtfully planned project. So let's dive into the world of code migrations, a journey that's as essential as it is challenging. Imagine you're about to move from an old, beloved home (your current codebase) to a sleek, new penthouse (a more modern platform or ..read more