I heard about this for the first time on Friday afternoon and it really hasn't seemed to have generated nearly as much noise as I would have expected (or perhaps I just missed it?).

The Interop Forms Toolkit effectively allows you to run VB6 code and VB.NET code right on top of each other, as if they were the same application (the managed code will run inside VB6's process).

This has the result that. You no longer need to upgrade your entire VB6 codebase in one shot, you can do it gradually one Form or component at a time. This actually even applies down to the Control level - you can host a VB.NET control on a VB6 Form!

For business this is huge - the main reason that most businesses (and there still are a lot of them) made the decision to stick with the VB6 platform was because there was simply no easy upgrade path and therefore no business case for going through the expense and disruption of upgrading to .NET. I firmly believe that by leveraging the Interop Toolkit to remove the immediate need for upgrading at all, this deciding factor no longer applies.

PS:- If anyone reading this (I am based in Johannesburg, South Africa) has found themselves confined to VB6 because of the reason(s) above and would like some advice on how to take advantage of the toolkit - and indeed what exactly the advantages (and disadvantages) are, then I am available to consult with your company and assist you in choosing the correct way forward.