Hi Dark, Well, installing the VB 6 libraries is only half the problem. Yes, a person can do so and the games will run on Windows 7, but there are still compatibility issues that can and do effect the operation of your games.
For example, on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 when User Account Control is enabled programs can not save data files to c:\Program Files and c:\Program Files X86. Those are considered restricted areas of the OS and this makes sense considering that is where the majority of where your programs are stored and viruses and other malware will infect your system. However, because the BSC games etc were written for Windows 98, Millennium, XP they have the nasty habit of saving data files to c:\Program Files which is an absolute no-no on newer Windows operating systems. Installing VB 6 libraries will not correct this problem. The other issue is that I have read there are some Windows 8 users that can not get games like Troopanum 2.0 to run on Windows 8. They have all the dependencies and it still will not run. It gives an error, and I don't know what the problem is. However, these and other problems are going to continue to be a problem for those of us who do choose to upgrade. So, no, just installing the VB 6 libraries are not going to be a one size fits all solution unfortunately. As for the fact that GMA Games, Jim Kitchen, Jeremy Kaldobsky, etc will probably continue using VB 6 for a long time you are probably right. I don't doubt that. However, what we have here is a conflict of interests, and one with technical consequences attached. What I mean by that is there is a big difference here between an average computer user such as yourself and a programmer and technical support specialist like myself. You only use your computer for average day to day tasks like reading email, browsing the internet, listening to music, playing games, and obviously XP is fine in that capacity. You are free to upgrade or not upgrade per your choice. I make money by offering home technical support in my area, and I also make money by developing software on the side. So it behooves me to A, keep my skills up to date, and B, to install and use the same software my clients and customers will be using. I may not particularly like Windows 8 personally compared to Windows 7, but professionally it is not a choice of upgrade or not. If I don't I might as well look for a different line of work, because every single laptop and desktop at my local Walmart has Windows 8 on it and my clients and potential clients will be buying one sooner or later. What I am saying is while you personally might not have any reason to upgrade to Windows 8 any time soon some of us may have to upgrade or use it in a professional capacity. While it is certainly possible to keep an older PC around for playing games or perhaps run XP in a virtual machine that's hardly a perfect solution. If I happen to bring my laptop along and it is running Windows 8 I don't want to boot up a virtual machine that runs slower than a turtle with three broken legs just to play a game because that eats a lot of memory and CPU power unnecessarily. Likewise if I am somewhere and the computer with all my games on it is at home it isn't exactly going to do me a lot of good. So the ideal solution is these games should be upgraded to support the newer operating systems while remaining backwards compatible for XP users. Cheers! --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
