Andy, I wouldn't say using VB + C is pointless. Obviously pure C (or C++) is the best option, if it is available. But even the "Visual" aspect of MSVC doesn't compare to the ease and speed with which a GUI can be developed--and later maintained--in Visual Basic.

I've written an application (Pinnacle 52) in exactly the way that was mentioned earlier in the thread: I use VB for nothing but GUI and make tons of calls to the DLL which does all the intensive work in C++. Works like a charm. VB is slow in terms of number-crunching, but its calls to the Windows API for GUI work are the same call that are made from MSVC--so your GUI isn't negatively affected by using VB.

Microsoft would have done well to make the visual aspect of MSVC more like VB. For all the criticisms I have of Microsoft and even of VB, the actual graphical development environment of VB is the easiest I've seen.

In any case, I won't say that a VB+C combination is the best solution, but it is a valid option for those that don't have time to develop the GUI in MSVC but can't accept the slow number-crunching speed of VB.

Regards,
Craig Steiner