4 ms·

If you just want to make a simple Windows Forms application, I'd just use .NET (VB or C#). If you don't have Visual Studio, you can download the Express versio

by makosdv 10y ago

If you just want to make a simple Windows Forms application, I'd just use .NET (VB or C#). If you don't have Visual Studio, you can download the Express version for free.

bettynormal 10y ago
or if you want cross platform apps - Use .NET too... Microsoft bought Xamarin and added iOS, Android, and Linux and Mac support to .Net and Visual Studio. It's all included free in VS 2015.
spapas82 10y ago
The problem with .NET is that I don't really trust it. In the past I had experienced various bad behaviors when trying to install .NET applications with strange messages requiring me to install specific .NET framework versions. The more strange thing is that after I installed the .NET framework and the application it still didn't start but complained about windows sxs or something like that. I never understood what the problem was. Also, how well would .NET apps developed with Visual Studio support older windows versions (i.e windows XP or vista) ?
- CompelTechnic 10y ago
  I believe (and I hope that someone double checks me on this) that you can set which version of the .NET libraries you want to use during development in visual studio. If you use version 3.5, your application will be compatible with all versions of windows back to XP.
  - Quppa 10y ago
    These days .NET 4.0 is probably a better target for maximising compatibility - Windows 8 and above don't come with .NET 3.5 installed by default, and a lot of Windows XP/Vista/7 machines will already have .NET 4.0 or newer installed thanks to Windows Update.
bobmno 10y ago
Or use SharpDevelop!
fithisux 10y ago
Or head over to http://www.tcl.tk/ http://www.tcl.tk/ to download your 8.6.6 binary and keep your sanity.
Silhouette 10y ago
If you don't have Visual Studio, you can download the Express version for free. Not any more, it seems. Now you get the Community editions, which work for free for about a month but then apparently require you to associate them with a Microsoft account and have strings attached.
- brudgers 10y ago
  The Visual Studio Community Edition license: https://www.visualstudio.com/support/legal/mt171547 https://www.visualstudio.com/support/legal/mt171547
  - Silhouette 10y ago
    Yes, and it contains gems like this: 4. DATA. The software may collect information about you and your use of the software, and send that to Microsoft. Microsoft may use this information to provide services and improve our products and services. You may opt-out of many of these scenarios, but not all, as described in the product documentation. [...] Your use of the software operates as your consent to these practices. Now, perhaps someone can find me the wording in any of the multiple directly and indirectly referenced privacy policies and other documentation that guarantees Microsoft won't upload and examine potentially sensitive data like my source code under those terms? There is simply no way in which having to sign in to desktop software in order to do the same things you used to do without signing in is an improvement for the user. It is a security and privacy risk with absolutely no upside.
    - kohanz 10y ago
      The thought that Microsoft developed Visual Studio in order to spy on developers is a bit much to stomach.
      - Silhouette 10y ago
        I'm not concerned with whether it was developed for that purpose. I'm concerned with whether I'm potentially disclosing trade secrets, violating NDAs or other contractual provisions, or simply risking a leak of my big new idea if someone else's system has a security breach. As I wrote before, requiring a log-in and open-ended telemetry for a traditional desktop app is a vulnerability with no benefit as far as the user is concerned.

by makosdv 10y ago

If you just want to make a simple Windows Forms application, I'd just use .NET (VB or C#). If you don't have Visual Studio, you can download the Express version for free.

bettynormal 10y ago

or if you want cross platform apps - Use .NET too... Microsoft bought Xamarin and added iOS, Android, and Linux and Mac support to .Net and Visual Studio. It's all included free in VS 2015.

spapas82 10y ago

The problem with .NET is that I don't really trust it. In the past I had experienced various bad behaviors when trying to install .NET applications with strange messages requiring me to install specific .NET framework versions. The more strange thing is that after I installed the .NET framework and the application it still didn't start but complained about windows sxs or something like that. I never understood what the problem was. Also, how well would .NET apps developed with Visual Studio support older windows versions (i.e windows XP or vista) ?

CompelTechnic 10y ago
I believe (and I hope that someone double checks me on this) that you can set which version of the .NET libraries you want to use during development in visual studio. If you use version 3.5, your application will be compatible with all versions of windows back to XP.
- Quppa 10y ago
  These days .NET 4.0 is probably a better target for maximising compatibility - Windows 8 and above don't come with .NET 3.5 installed by default, and a lot of Windows XP/Vista/7 machines will already have .NET 4.0 or newer installed thanks to Windows Update.

bobmno 10y ago

Or use SharpDevelop!

fithisux 10y ago

Or head over to http://www.tcl.tk/ http://www.tcl.tk/ to download your 8.6.6 binary and keep your sanity.

Silhouette 10y ago

If you don't have Visual Studio, you can download the Express version for free. Not any more, it seems. Now you get the Community editions, which work for free for about a month but then apparently require you to associate them with a Microsoft account and have strings attached.

brudgers 10y ago
The Visual Studio Community Edition license: https://www.visualstudio.com/support/legal/mt171547 https://www.visualstudio.com/support/legal/mt171547
- Silhouette 10y ago
  Yes, and it contains gems like this: 4. DATA. The software may collect information about you and your use of the software, and send that to Microsoft. Microsoft may use this information to provide services and improve our products and services. You may opt-out of many of these scenarios, but not all, as described in the product documentation. [...] Your use of the software operates as your consent to these practices. Now, perhaps someone can find me the wording in any of the multiple directly and indirectly referenced privacy policies and other documentation that guarantees Microsoft won't upload and examine potentially sensitive data like my source code under those terms? There is simply no way in which having to sign in to desktop software in order to do the same things you used to do without signing in is an improvement for the user. It is a security and privacy risk with absolutely no upside.
  - kohanz 10y ago
    The thought that Microsoft developed Visual Studio in order to spy on developers is a bit much to stomach.
    - Silhouette 10y ago
      I'm not concerned with whether it was developed for that purpose. I'm concerned with whether I'm potentially disclosing trade secrets, violating NDAs or other contractual provisions, or simply risking a leak of my big new idea if someone else's system has a security breach. As I wrote before, requiring a log-in and open-ended telemetry for a traditional desktop app is a vulnerability with no benefit as far as the user is concerned.