Why all the hate for VB?

Seriously. If you're a linuxer, I guess I can see the point; but most people (even here) use some form of windows...so what's wrong with using a windows-specific language? Is it that VB makes things "too easy" and therefor takes out the 'leet' factor? Is it because your boss likes it? Is it just more of the usual  "omg it's from microsoft and microsoft is teh sux" hatred?

Have any of you people who bitch about it even *tried* the recent versions?

For the next year you can get it fro free and I'm playing around with it; I think it's a lot better than people give it credit for being.

maybe it's time to re-evaluate the accuracy of the perception that visual basic is not enterprise quality
Microsoft agrees with you. That's why they've been hinting at VB shops that maybe they should start using D-flat instead. The only reason why they made VB.NOT at all is to give the illusion that people would be able to port their old VB6 apps. They want to dump the language entirely if possible.