#Microsoft quick basic portable#
#Microsoft quick basic software#
#Microsoft quick basic Pc#
#Microsoft quick basic professional#
#Microsoft quick basic windows#

#Microsoft quick basic windows#

Windows 3.1) and then Windows itself became the operating system (Windows 95). First we had Microsoft Windows on top of DOS (ie. The next generation of BASIC was much different, simply because a new operating system became the standard.

#Microsoft quick basic professional#

Myth #1 debunked вЂ“ BASIC eventually became a professional language, not simply remaining a beginners language.

#Microsoft quick basic Pc#

I got my first PC (Blue Chip clone) used and I sold most of my вЂњhomeвЂќ computers (Commodore, Atari, etc.) just to be able to afford a used PC. Often a decent PC cost from $2000 to $5000. Computers back then, again were not consumer products. I wrote a number of custom applications for businesses using PDS 7.1, from machine shop job tracking, auto repair shop software, to accounting software. I used both QuickBasic 4.5 and PDS 7.1 back then. There was even a Professional version later released called PDS (or Microsoft Professional Development System).

#Microsoft quick basic software#

QuickBasic 4.5 is the version that really became the defacto standard for BASIC programmers and it was affordable.ДЄ lot of commercial software was written using QuickBasic. QBasic became the defacto standard for BASIC programmers and the raw power of DOS PCвЂ™s was now powerful enough to handle a decent compiler and Microsoft introduced QuickBasic (Borland International had their compiler called Turbo-Basic, but more on that later). BASIC moved on to the PC in the form of QBasic an interpreted language. Then came the IBM PC! Next came the PC вЂњclonesвЂќ! Microsoft had a вЂњhitвЂќ with Microsoft DOS on the clones and soon MS-DOS became the standard for a business PC. BASIC was actually one of the most productive languages of the time and a lot of software was written using it. In the CPM desktop PC days it at least required a nice long coffee break while waiting for the app to compile. In the main-frame days it took hours to compile an app. Compilers took way too long to just compile an app. BASIC being interpreted, allowed one to write and test software almost instantaneously. My first real custom programming job was for a local manufacturing company and its quality control department, where I wrote software which downloaded test data from testing machines and then ran it through statistical analysis software which printed out bar charts.Д«ASIC was designed not for beginners back then, but for computers with limited computing power. But despite such limited hardware (64 KB ram, very slow CPUвЂ™s, disk drives with 360 KB space), BASIC programmers were able to write amazingly powerful business software. If I remember correctly they weighed a good 20 to 30 pounds.

#Microsoft quick basic portable#

Now read up about Kaypro computers and see what us old timers called portable computers. I did a lot of programming on the Kaypro CPM computers. I accidently slipped into programming (it is a long story), but suffice it to say that my first commercial programming work was done using interpreted BASIC on CPM computers. I didnвЂ™t get my Commodore 64, TI99/4A and AtariвЂ™s until the market was slipping a good bit and I was able to pick them up on clearance for only $50 each at a local RoseвЂ™s store. It was an expensive hobby, but many grasped at whatever home computer they could afford. So who used such вЂњhome computersвЂќ ? People who had a leaning towards technology. Definitely not a typical consumer device. The Commodore 64 was $595 back in 1982 which would be close to $1500 in todayвЂ™s currency. Remember the Commodore 64, the TI-99/4A, the Atari 400,800, 600XL, 800XL and so on ? These so called вЂњhome computersвЂќ were actually not a consumer device. Back in the 1980вЂ™s the home computer revolution occurred. To better appreciate Microsofts first real success with BASIC, one has to better appreciate the era when this occurred. Microsoft got it right and then they got it somewhat right and then they got it wrong So rather than ask your fellow developers, who specialize in C or Java, what BASIC is about, it makes more sense to ask those who have years of experience using BASIC, вЂњwhy do you use itвЂќ and вЂњwhat are its benefitsвЂќ. How long have you personally been programming in a specific language ? 5 years, 10 years, 15 years ? This developer has been using BASIC for over 30 years and my first exposure to BASIC was back in 1975, which is over 40 years ago. Who better knows what BASIC is about than a long time BASIC programmer вЂњBasic is not a viable professional languageвЂќ may probably be its most damaging criticism. Also misunderstanding вЂњwhyвЂќ BASIC is so loved by many, those who have tried to reinvent BASIC have only made its demise come more quickly. This common view discourages the development of a new generation of BASIC programming languages. вЂњObsoleteвЂќ, вЂњfor beginners onlyвЂќ, вЂњunstructuredвЂќ, the descriptions go on. Mention BASIC to a current software developer and one quickly finds out that it is not viewed favorably by most programmers. BASIC is one of the most misunderstood programming languages!