Converting existing VB applications to Open Source technologies

Question

I have a few VB applications that I am looking to convert. During design discussions, the question of using open source technologies came up.

Which set of OpenSource Tools and Technologies would be a good choice?

Now with Express versions Visual Studio, it should be an easy choice, but what other technologies/toolsets would need to be considered?

HighLevel Requirements (I know they are vague, your questions may help characterize the information better): - The converted application is expected to provide all the functionality of the current VB app. - It is expected to use all the data currently contained in the system. - Integrate/Interact with other systems

Answer 1

You're not clear on whether your mean vb6 or vb.net. Either way, one easy option is to use mono. Then you can use an existing migration tool to move the code up to .Net if needed and from there adapt the program to mono. The process is far from perfect, but it's likely to go a lot better than re-writing your app from scratch.