QuickBASIC

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QuickBasic
Basic data

developer Microsoft Corporation
Publishing year 1985
Current  version 7.1 PDS (MS-DOS) / 1.0 (Macintosh)
operating system MS-DOS , Mac OS
category BASIC compiler, BASIC interpreter and development environment
License MS - EULA
German speaking Yes
www.microsoft.de

QuickBasic is a BASIC - development environment for MS-DOS , Mac OS , and OS / 2 .

QuickBASIC enables the compilation of basic code into executable files as well as into modules and libraries. The last version released is Quickbasic Extended 7.1 PDS (Professional Development System), which is supplied with support for the ISAM file format and improved memory management , among other things . QBasic , which was supplied with MS-DOS Version 5 or higher, was based on QuickBasic 4.5.

Furthermore , a version for the Apple Macintosh appeared in 1988 with Microsoft QuickBASIC 1.00 .

history

DOS

The first version of the QuickBASIC compiler, published in 1985, did not yet contain an integrated development environment ; this was supplied with version 2. It supported EGA graphics cards. Version 3 came with two EXE files, QB.EXEand QB87.EXE. The latter supports the math coprocessor. With QuickBasic 3 new control structures have been introduced SELECT CASE, DO ... LOOP, to constants (were CONST) supported. A debugger was added to the IDE, which made it possible to set breakpoints and inspect variables. The IDE of Version 4, which was delivered in 1987, contained a source code syntax check while editing, an expanded debugger and new online help. The compiler supports CALLcalls from external libraries developed in high-level languages ​​(QuickBASIC, C ++ etc.). The last version, 4.5, contained a complete command reference that could be accessed with context-sensitive help.

QuickBASIC was supplemented by BASIC PDS 7 and 7.1, which was marketed parallel to QuickBASIC 4.5. The IDE from QuickBASIC was used in 7.1. The subsequent and last Basic version released by Microsoft for DOS was Visual Basic for DOS 1.0, which replaced both product lines. QuickBASIC programs run on these newer versions.

macintosh

QuickBASIC for the Apple Macintosh bundled the Basic 3.0 interpreter and the Basic 1.0 compiler, which had previously been sold separately. The operating system version from System 4.1 to System 6 was supported , with the update to 1.00e then also System 7 . However, it could only run on Macintoshs with the Motorola 68000 and 68020 processors . The 32-bit addressing had to be deactivated, which was no longer possible on machines with the 68040 .

Functionalities

Some other functionalities set QuickBASIC apart from other basic distributions :

  • The source text can be conveniently edited using a mouse and menu-controlled interface .
  • Online documentation of all functions is integrated in the development environment.
  • Control structures such as DO and SELECT make jump instructions with GOTO largely superfluous.
  • QuickBASIC supports subroutines . A distinction is made between subroutines with a return value ( functions ) and those without a return value ( procedures ). Subroutines are processed in separate windows so that a clear program structure is possible. This support for procedural programming in particular eliminates the need to work with line numbers as labels and many GOSUB statements.

compatibility

With a few exceptions, it was largely compatible with GW-BASIC . QBasic programs also run on QuickBasic 4.5. Most QuickBasic programs also run under Visual Basic for MS-DOS 1.00.

To support Hercules graphics cards, the TSR program msherc.com had to be started in advance under QuickBASIC 4.5 .

QuickBasic today

After the introduction of Visual Basic , QuickBasic was no longer developed. There is no support for many possibilities of modern operating systems, such as concurrent processes, high screen resolutions in graphics mode or the automatic creation of dialog windows . The latter was introduced with Visual Basic for MS-DOS.

Despite this, QuickBasic is still used today, like QBasic, and numerous private websites are devoted to the subject. This is mainly due to the fact that it is easy to learn and its widespread use in the past. There are now a lot of Basic dialects that many of the ex-QuickBasic programmers switched to.

QuickBasic as well as QBasic can be run in the Virtual DOS Machine , which is part of the 32-bit operating systems of the Windows NT family .

In addition, there is an open source 32-bit compiler called FreeBASIC , which is based on QuickBASIC, and especially with the compiler option ("-lang qb") also compiles most QuickBasic or QBasic programs. There is also the QB64 project, which is a port of QuickBasic for modern operating systems. QB64 translates basic source texts to C ++ and uses them to create executable programs that can be run on 32- and 64-bit operating systems. In contrast to other free basic versions, QB64 executes most programs that were written for Quickbasic 4.5 or QBasic without any further adjustments, as does GW basic programs. Basic PDS QBX files are not supported. In addition, there are extensive extensions to support modern operating system functions, for example a network stack, graphics functions up to 32-bit color depth and support for the clipboard, as well as support for OpenGL . QB64 is also available in versions for Linux and Mac OS X.

Web links

Wikibooks: Quick Basic  - learning and teaching materials

Individual evidence

  1. From QBasic to VBDOS / VBWIN
  2. QB64 . Retrieved May 22, 2020.