Visual Basic And The Java Platform

This session introduced Project Simplice. According to the speakers, Project Simplice intends to attract Visual Basic programmer to the Java camp. Project Simplice is inspired by Visual Basic and compile Basic code to a class file which runs in the JVM. Basically, this makes the Java platform basically simple to the Basic programmer. The whole project is still at an early stage. The project is not available to the general project yet even. That said they Project Simplice team made some impressive demos.

As a demo, the Project Simplice imported the Visual Basic code for a calculator example written by Microsoft with the original copyright. Once imported they hit the build button to launch a program originally original written for the Windows platform but now running on JVM power. Wow. Now that is some impressive compiler magic. In NetBeans, you can edit the UI in the UI Builder and update the code and have the same context help, color highlighting, and language support that you come to expect from NetBeans.

What was hard to believe was that an exe fractal application written in Visual Basic for the Windows platform ran considerably slower than when that same code was compiled and ran in the JVM. There was general disbelief and awe when that Windows version ran over 10 times slower.

It seems that Project Simplice, or marketing eventually names it, is intended a language that can be used to teach programming to beginners.

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