Member Avatar for clutchkiller

From people who know what wxWidgets is, I always here a lot of grief about how it is to simplistic, but compated to VB what do you guys think? Ive only ever worked with wxWidgets for a short period of timebut thougt it was very good. What do you guys think of the two languages? Compare.

I think VB loses this one. I also post this in the c++ thread cause everyone ive seen talk low of wxWidgets were c++ guys.

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Comparing wxWidgets and "VB" is comparing different layers: wxWidgets is a C++-centric, cross‑platform GUI toolkit, while "VB" usually refers to a language and Windows/.NET ecosystem. and raised the practical points — ease of use vs power — so the choice should come from project constraints rather than a blanket "wins/loses" call.

Technical differences to weigh:

  • wxWidgets wraps native widgets on each OS, so apps get a native look and low-level control; it fits projects needing C++ performance or existing native code. See the project overview at wxWidgets.org.
  • Visual Basic (VB.NET) targets the .NET runtime and integrates tightly with Visual Studio tooling, rapid form designers, and Windows UI stacks (WinForms/WPF). It is often faster for business GUIs and developer productivity; see Microsofts Visual Basic docs at learn.microsoft.com.
  • Deployment and runtime differ: native C++ binaries behave differently from managed .NET assemblies, which has implications for installers, dependencies, and debugging.

When to pick which:

  • Choose VB.NET for Windows-only internal tools, quick prototypes, or when Visual Studio productivity matters.
  • Choose wxWidgets (C++) for cross‑platform native apps, performance-sensitive components, or when integrating with existing C/C++ code.
  • If cross‑platform UI with .NET is required, consider modern .NET UI options instead of VB (for example .NET MAUI or Avalonia) depending on long‑term support needs.

Practical next steps and resources:

  • Prototype a single window in each stack to validate tooling, packaging, and native look.
  • For wxWidgets tooling check the official docs and GUI designers like wxFormBuilder (SourceForge) and the wxWidgets docs at wxWidgets.org.
  • For VB/.NET, use Visual Studio Community and the .NET docs to compare WinForms vs WPF for your scenario: Visual Studio Community.

Caution: consider long‑term maintenance, developer skillsets on the team, and target platforms before committing.

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Member Avatar for Nick Evan

You do realize that wxWidgets is not a programming language? I've used wxWidgets in the past and found it to be an excellent GUI for C++ (once you get it installed that is).
I've also programmed a few things in VB(.NET) and I think it's easier to program a (simple) windowsapplication in VB. C++ and wxWidgets are more powerfull however and they still have my personal vote :)

Edited by Nick Evan because: n/a
commented: Excellent point about lib vs. language +18
Member Avatar for clutchkiller

Well I guess I should have said API lol. Also you can just download the IDE wxDev c++ and its ready to go right off the bat =P

wx 2
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