The Moth

If you are not familiar with the new My feature of VB2005, please go read about it and make your own mind up. I suggest reading my previous entry (in addition to the two links I offer there also check these out [1,2])

So it is clear that we are talking about:
1. A speed dial into the framework
2. Application events
3. Stuff generated at compile time into your project

My opinion is that the first one is a waste of space. Speed dial?! They could have given us this as example code and be done with it (or invest the energy to improving the help/navigation system). Yes the framework is large and some times discovering some methods may take longer than what it should, but how does having a parallel framework help? Now I have two frameworks to learn! We don't need YAF (yet another framework). The process of discovering the framework is called "becoming a .NET developer". While searching for a solution to a problem, the developer discovers not only the correct namespace/class/method but also a bunch of other classes/methods that they will not have to search for next time they have a different problem. The My feature discourages this behaviour and hence hinders learning the framework (which can only be a bad thing).

I wasn't too thrilled with VB.NET 2002 when I discovered all those "global" functions that come as part of Microsotf.VisualBasic.dll However, there is a major difference with those: they are necessary for smooth upgrade of VB6 code by tools (and some parts of it actually offer functionality not found in the framework). VB2005 takes the VB6 approach of having global functions everywhere and repackages them in a structured library. Structured or not, it is still a bunch of globals that existing .NET devs did not need (globals=statics.. err sorry I meant shared). In case it is not clear yet, My is a bunch of stateless operations that offer functionality already available in the framework. It is obvious the feature was added to lure VB6 devs that have not yet moved to .NET, but is My really helping them in the long run?

Application events as a concept are a nice idea. Will I use them in VB? Unfortunately the answer is no. Not only I am not too fond of having to give up my own Sub Main, but more importantly they will not be supported in CF 2.0

I haven't made my mind up on whether I like the 3rd part of My. On the face of it, it seems dirty, but only time will tell.

To finish off with a sweeping comment on the whole of the My feature: it is nowhere near in the same league as refactoring (that will not be part of Whidbey) and I would like to talk to the person that was responsible for prioritising these features (not that it will happen, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I had written the above and then came across a post with a similar ending to mine.