Hi,
Yes, I'm new to QBasic. I started using Basic on an old Commodore 64 computer many years ago. When I bought an old IBM 135 from my sister, way back, I asked her if you could still "program" on this type of computer and she assured me that I could, but I could not.
I had written several programs, in Basic, for the old Commodore 64, but have since been unable to program anymore.
I asked my brother if there was anything like the old "basic" still in existence and he said, "yes". He told me to look for QBasic which he said is very similar to that type of programming.
The commodore 64 was extremely limited because of its amount of memory.
I guess my Q? is: Is QBasic a language similar to that of the Basic language of a commodore 64?
If I can remember how to write the programs I did back then can I do them now on QBasic?
Or will I have to completely have to relearn everything before I can start to write programs in QBasic?
What programs do I need to download to be able to fully use QBasic? (where do I find them all)
Thank you for your time, consideration, and cooperation in this matter, I deeply appreciate your feedback.
Socrates2k1
Quote:[...] Is QBasic a language similar to that of the Basic language of a commodore 64?
Most likely yes. I am not familar with the the BASIC dialec that the C64 used but most BASICs are very similar. It should be very alike (and you should only have to relearn a few things)
Quote:If I can remember how to write the programs I did back then can I do them now on QBasic?
Yes and probably more some.
Quote:Or will I have to completely have to relearn everything before I can start to write programs in QBasic?
Nope. Probably just a few things
Quote:What programs do I need to download to be able to fully use QBasic? (where do I find them all)
all you need is... QBasic =D (Sorry I don't have a link now)
You could try FreeBASIC (
http://freebasic.net ). It is very compatible with QBasic and is designed for 32bit systems. (Linux, Windows (there's a DOS compiler too)) Though many people use QBasic for other reasons.
i started on an old commadore, myself, and the syntax is the same (though qb has more commands, because it can handle more...), but the old commands are all there, and some new ones
if you need any help, there's the help file, and there's here....and check things in that order (not that I care, but you may get flamed if you don't)
if you have a really "newbie" question, don't be afraid to PM me...I'll get it within a day or two...maybe even the same hour...
Oz~
C64 BASIC and QBasic have quite a few differences. The first is how you write programs. In QBasic, you have a proper IDE, in C64 BASIC you didn't really...running your programs isn't done with typing RUN anymore, it's done by hitting F5 on the keyboard or using the menu at the top of the screen. You no longer have to use line numbers, but you can if you want, of course. Variable names in QBasic can be 40 characters long, whereas in C64 BASIC you're limited to 2 characters long. One of the biggest differences is that you're working on a different architecture, and this architecture has some noticeable differences...the C64 was designed as a gaming machine, so it has built-in stuff for that, such as easy-to-use hardware sprites and a very easy-to-program sound chip. The PC has none of that. With pure QBasic, the best you're gonna get is PLAY and SOUND for making sound, and GET and PUT for graphics. It takes some getting used to. Also, the fun POKE and PEEK stuff on the C64 is VERY different on the PC...nothing you've done on the C64 in regards to POKE and PEEK will work in QB unless you're manually accessing BASIC's memory space on the C64, and even then there's some differences on the PC since now you're working with segmented memory. Finally, one last issue is the issue of spacing...on the C64, you can get away with stuff like this:
That won't work in QBasic. You have to space it properly:
Aside from these differences, the core language is pretty much the same: FOR...NEXT loops, IF...THEN logic, PRINT and INPUT...this stuff pretty much works the same way as it did before.
(Note: I meant to post this earlier but my connection died...)
on my commadore, there was a few differences....
you *HAD* to have line numbers, and yes, "RUN" ran the pgram instead of f5....
i didn't notive anything with spacing, but that was a few years ago...
oz~
on the commodore 64 you couldn't indent code...atleast not with a control code after the line number (not sure which one it was...but if you entered it you could do something like:
Code:
10 FOR T=1 TO 5
20 PRINT T
30 NEXT T
AND if you didn't have that special code it would end up as
Code:
10 FOR T=1 TO 5
20 PRINT T
30 NEXT T
well even if u have to learn new things, QB is a pretty easy way of doing it, plus we here also like to help ppl even if its a very simple question that was hard to figure out, i just erally started programming this year, although i had recnt experience in optehr rpograms, the language hasnt changed that much, plus the members here are really helpful