The title pretty much sums it up. Is anyone out there still writing in QBasic / QuickBasic?
I have fond memories of learning to program on this platform, but its been such a long time...
+1
A:
My first program was in QBasic. So, I would recommend it to people learning to program for the first time. As soon as they get the grasp of it, they should move on to other languages.
Alan Haggai Alavi
2010-02-01 03:28:21
A:
there are modern tools for learning basic programming. any new aspiring programmers can skip this one.
Martin Ongtangco
2010-02-01 03:30:38
When I learned VB, I found that students who had no previous experience were more 'window painters' than programmers, as opposed to people who had learned languages like qbasic, pascal, or others. We ended up with a whole generation of script kiddies because of it. I suppose it doesn't matter what one starts with, but if you hear someone referring to 'visual basics', you can bet they're on the wrong path. I suppose something like php is easy enough and powerful enough at the same time, but it's important to learn about file formats, sort and search functions (the ones you write yourself), etc
George Sisco
2010-03-23 13:47:14
Martin Ongtangco
2010-03-24 01:25:45
@Martin, well, I don't mean to be too strict. I think clipper helped me understand pointers because it has something similar but not the same called an alias. But I talk to a lot less people who started with visual languages who know the difference between a flat file and a fixed length file. Visual languages make things easy, and I'm glad they exist, but one can complete two courses in VB and never learn input output loop and decision. You'd have a better shot at learning the fundamentals using a straight procedural language is all I'm saying.I'm ok with blaming professors, too.
George Sisco
2010-03-24 17:29:03
Martin Ongtangco
2010-03-25 03:30:11
@Martin - who's being too objective? OOP doesn't make code more scalable than functions in a procedural language, and has nothing to do with event driven programming inherently. With .NET syntax, one language is as good as another for learning.This is a side discussion that's more about flag waving. I think you're right that anyone can be a good programmer with a good teacher. You don't find those in a VB class, .net or otherwise. Programming is looked upon as a vocation at too many colleges. Back on topic, I suppose it's a matter of opinion, but 'modern' tools are not 'better' tools.
George Sisco
2010-04-01 14:27:17
@Martin, by the way, you should reread my original response to you. I clearly said it doesn't matter what you start with, and that it's important to learn about fundamentals. I was simply adding that some of these older languages, maybe as a part of their nature, concentrated more on real programming and less on screen painting.
George Sisco
2010-04-01 14:31:03
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It's easy to pick up a few programming ideas from BASIC, but there are so many pitfalls that develop into bad habits that it's not worth it in the long run. I learned on various BASIC dialects in the first 8 bit computers, but after using C for a few years and trying BASIC again for nostalgia's sake, I was amazed at how limited it was. I remember trying to open a file for reading and checking for errors as I went along, but there was NO error checking beyond the program bombing and saying "Press any key to continue" or some such.
Arthur Kalliokoski
2010-02-01 03:36:20
+4
A:
Ahhh... the good old days. I learned QBasic about 12 years ago. It was a good way to get your feet wet. Then migrate over to VB Classic (VB 6).
Edit: Forgot to answer the question. The answer is "yes". There are lots of companies that have legacy app's written in QBasic and refuse to move up in the world. Just like COBOL. Speaking of which, wasn't there supposed to be a .NET variation of COBOL?
arabian tiger
2010-02-01 03:37:51
+2
A:
It's not used except in a few school's and to make small programs, like songs, pictures, tables (like multiplication tables), etc. but nothing big or important. It's a good starting program though. :)
Cra2y
2010-06-30 12:31:35
A:
I still use Qbasic and create most of my website using it. I use it to generate pages from a database which I plug into a template. In just a few seconds, I have almost 10,000 pages created for an up-to-date website. Check it out at baptistinfo dot com.
I also use it at work to create treatment plans, discharge summaries, and just about anything that is manipulated in text format. Works great for me every day.
Doyle Welborn
2010-09-22 03:47:07
A:
I too learned 13+ years ago in MS qbasic, and used it to do things until about 4 years ago, when all my windows boxes had turned to Linux. It was easy and quick to do most anything where you didn't need a mouse or intense graphics. Plotting was a breeze! I dunno everything was so easy, I miss it :-)
Jay Straw
2010-09-22 03:52:40